The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

An endearing glimpse, with heart-stirring grit of daily life, into the life of a 15 year-old boy afflicted with an autism-like condition. Very cleverly written from the boy's viewpoint and well-narrated (same narrator as Life of Pi). Lots of pathos, humor, reality, and insight. Do not think you failed to download an early chapter -- this becomes an amusing part of the story, or that you have bought a children's book that can be read to children -- it will deepen all too soon.

I found Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time an amazing read. The author's writing skillfully conveys the frustrations and concerns of the protagonist, an autistic teenager, with his world and those of his caregivers with him. This done while maintaining the protagonists point of view and addressing the general themes of trust and safety.

I am a special educator, and, as I read this book, I am reminded of students, past and present, with whom I have worked and work. Their seemingly pointless rituals and behaviors are just as important to them as my morning cup of coffee is to me. They are able to make sense of and feel safe with the world around them by providing it with a structure. The protagonist of the book, Christopher Boone, does this by using his abilities, perceptions, and logic. While using Christopher's words to describe his world and responses to it, the author provides the reader with insight and empathy for the people--including Christopher--in that world. I strongly recommend this book to people working with those who have "special needs."

The author also addresses the universal needs of trust and safety. What happens when trust is loss and feelings of safety, so related to trust, shattered? How are these restored when they are destroyed? Christopher's responses to these losses may be unorthodox, but they are human. The behaviors of those around Christopher are also human. This story is an empathetic portrayal of a human situation. It is, in short, a book to read.

As the mother of a 7-year-old son with Asperger's Syndrome (the type of autism afflicting our protagonist), I found this book both warm and chilling. This book essentially gave me a look inside the mind of my son.

Having a child with autism is one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given. But as we could see with Christopher's parents, it can be a painful struggle for the family. I found myself thinking, "MY son does that" or "So THAT'S why he does that."

I am so grateful for this author for opening me up to the inside of a person with Asperger's Syndrome. I LOVED this book--and Jeff Woodman's reading was superb!

I have asked all of my friends, family, and loved ones to READ this to understand what our family--and specifically, my son--is going through. It is also enlightening to find stories such as these that do not paint autistic people as "Rainman-like" savants or detached souls rocking incessantly in a corner.

What a beautiful, interesting, funny, sad, lovely book. Completely satisfying from start to end, I was engrossed from the very beginning. I initially hesitated, unsure if the plot as summarized would be something that would interest me; I'm so glad I decided to give it a try.

Experiencing the events as they unfolded from the perspective of this sweet boy touched my heart and kept me thoroughly enthralled. Although the book was not told from the viewpoint of the father, it's written in such a way as to have you relate to his experience as well.

For me, this was one of those books that stayed with me all day, playing through my mind at work while I waited for the opportunity to hear more of the story. The narration was fantastic and fit perfectly.

Without a doubt a five star selection.

I was thankful for the traffic this morning, lengthening my already long drive so that I could enjoy a few more chapters.

I'd recommend this to anyone who is not bound to a rigid story line, and truly think this is a better book to listen to, than to read. I would be tempted to skip bits if I were reading it - something that's impossible in the audio book... and those bits are all part of what makes this book so engrossing. (Where will Christopher's story take us next?)

The narrator, too, is a wonderful bonus, gained as a result of the audio edition. He provides the right tone and voices - far better than my own inner voice.

All children with autism are different but as a parent, I found this book particularly interesting because I felt it gave me some insights into how my own son may be viewing the world. This is a very entertaining story. I laughed really hard at some things and found myself crying over others. I've been recommending this book to my friends and family as a way to begin to understand how autism affects our son and as a way to help them begin to ask us questions about it.

In this fascinating look into a unique mind, Jeff Woodman becomes Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome. Never before have I felt so much like I was experiencing the world from someone else's perspective. Christopher's frustrations, social anxieties, and logic felt like my own in this powerful performance.

I find the reviews of this book to be at least as interesting as anything else. Just look at the complaints: “the book is boring,” ”tedious,” “inappropriate,” “tortuous listening,” “tiring,” “too weird,” too autistic? I think these reviews are a reflection of the real world and our attitudes to these, our brothers, sisters and children. How sad.

Okay, Audible you blew it. This is not a kids book.. well, wait a second... how old is a kid. And personally I know lots of kids that would not only enjoy this book but understand it better than some of the adults reviewing it here in these pages. Language? WTF language? You have to be kidding. With all that was going on in these pages that is the best you can do is comment on a few F words? How about a comment on tolerance and understanding.

A previous reviewer compared this title to Life of Pi. I was particularly disappointed with the ultimate storyline of that book and felt exploited by the author. That, however, is not the case with this book. It is a fascinating eye into the mind of someone who doesn't think like the rest of us. I always enjoy readings that challenge our world views and this does so while also showing how that difference has an impact on those around us. In this case, a not-too-atypical family trying their best to negotiate life. It's about so much more than "the curious incident." You'll enjoy!

The author does a great job of describing the mind of a child with autism. I was surprised at how many "elements of thought" I recognized from working with such kids over the last 10 years. The narrator did an excellent job as well, however, I was surprised at the amount of inflection in his voice. I would have expected a little more monotone for a child such as Christopher. I love the idea of learning how emotions come through this child who doesn't seem to immediately identify with them.