The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

By: Mark Haddon

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition similar to autism. He doesn't like to be touched or meet new people, he cannot make small talk, and he hates the colors brown and yellow. He is a math whiz with a very logical brain who loves solving puzzles that have definite answers.

One night, he observes that the neighbor's dog has been killed, since it is not moving and has a large garden fork stuck in its body. Christopher knows this is wrong. He has never left his street on his own before, but now he'll have to in order to find out who killed the dog. What he discovers will shake the very foundation of his perfectly ordered life.

Critically acclaimed author Mark Haddon, a two-time BAFTA winner, crafts a stunning masterpiece that is funny, honest, and incredibly moving.

©2003 Mark Haddon (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Alex Award Winner, 2004

"The novel brims with touching, ironic humor. The result is an eye-opening work in a unique and compelling literary voice." (Publishers Weekly)
"Fresh and inventive." (Booklist)
"Smart, honest and wrenching....Will quickly hook you in." (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Gloriously eccentric and wonderfully intelligent." (The Boston Globe)

A Different Perspective

The story is quite good with a different perspective. The performance was just what would be expected as a boy with Asperger's on a mission then an adventure.

Yes!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it. It’s both engaging and eye opening.

my son's head

I don't know what go through my special needs son's head but I imagine it is much like this book. This book entertained as well as reminded me the of the joy, love, fear, hope, responsibility, patience, it takes to have a special needs child. I am glad it was written to and recommended to me. if you know someone with special needs, although it might not be the same needs, this book helps you imagine whatever day life is like for the whole family.

Told how it feels

I enjoyed the way this story was told and would be interested to follow through again with the physical text.

listened twice

absolutely a new top 100 pick. i saw myself, my children and my friends in this book

Buy this book NOW

It’s wonderful. I’m extremely picky and I loved it. I will probably listen to it many times. I’m glad its in my library.

I’m as tired of Christopher as his mother

So if you’ve read the synopsis, you’ll understand that this book is from the perspective of Christopher. Well, this is both good and bad. In the beginning, it is fascinating to hear things from his perspective, but it becomes a chore by the end. I feel the author did this to give us some perspective on life through Christopher’s lens, but it is anything but entertaining. Christopher has so many monotonous monologues in the last few hours, and his monologues will go on for quite some time. This is the issue. I love the character, but the reality of his mind and speech is difficult for audio. I wanted so badly to skip over his sections, but then I wouldn’t have the small portions that move the plot forward, and that’s one of the main problems. This book is 90% miscellaneous comments and 10% plot. If you are fine with that, you should be able to enjoy. I love Christopher and the concept of the book, but it is a chore by the end to finish this one. Good luck!

mesmerizing

At first slow and confusing, but stick with it - well done and well performed. Great company in the car…

Fantastic!

I loved this story so much. The narrator really brought life to the characters! Excellent!

From an autistic’s mom: Depressing

First, I have a nine-year-old autistic son, so I was very interested in this story from an autistic’s perspective. The main character’s thoughts and actions are pretty accurate. But I didn’t like this story. This kid is subjected to a lot of trauma which I didn’t enjoy as a reader. And listening to his thoughts, monologues, and eccentricities really highlight what there is to NOT like about an autistic person. The story drags and drones at places because Christopher is expounding on his interests. Which most people won’t/don’t share. I was extremely disappointed that the author wasn’t able to portray Christopher as more likable. The author should have spent more time on Christopher’s gentleness (towards animals), his innocence/lack of artifice, his loyalty, and the unique way his mind works (not just the spouting of facts.)

Finally, I was completely put off by the “logical” argument against there being a God. To say that we will someday be the animals in a zoo like we put chimps in zoos is utter nonsense. Humans have language, writing, etc. (Not that I agree with putting animals in zoos.) 60% of Scientists and 76% of doctors believe in God.

Lest people think that autistics aren’t religious because they are too “logical”... One thing that I’ve observed about my autistic son, is that once he believes something is a fact, he just accepts it, he doesn’t question it. So, for example, he believes in God. To him, God is a fact. You can’t find a purer faith than that.