In this sense, The Curious Incident is a novel about facing reality, in whatever form it takes, and choosing truth over comfort. While the plot may appear small from the outside, it is much larger for Christopher: it is a quest not just in search of the murderer, or even of personal discovery, but also a quest for truth – an opportunity for Christopher to break many of the shackles that bind him and dispel some of the lies that he has been told to keep him from harm. His blunt way of approaching the world is completely disarming and one is carried along with his narrative, despite little happening in the plot for significant periods. Christopher, we learn, does not like metaphors as they are essentially lies (which confuse and trouble him) and so there are no flowery descriptions here, but instead fine details as Christopher catalogues everything around him in an attempt to record and understand it all. His condition affects every aspect of his life and small details are slipped effortlessly into the story, providing the reader with a real understanding of the machinations of the narrator’s mind. Indeed, Haddon uses Christopher’s condition to explore bigger themes about the human condition, not only the construction of personal realities but issues of (dis)connection, and the power of language and communication to shape the world and bridge (or widen) the gap between people.ĭespite the larger themes, this is a very personal story and the conceit – that one is reading the first-person story of Christopher – provides a remarkably immersive reading experience. At one level this is an interesting insight into how confusing a place the world can be for someone in Christopher’s position, but it also begins to touch on the sense that all reality is a social construct. What unfolds is a truly moving story about (a lack of) connection, Christopher’s need to understand the world, and how a child’s illness can affect many around them.Ĭhristopher is entirely dependent on others to shape his own reality, he not being able to trust his own impression of things. This may be his starting point, but as Christopher’s investigations take shape, it becomes clear that there are mysteries closer to home for him to uncover than the murder of Wellington. Christopher stumbles upon the murdered dog and sets about trying, like one of his heroes Sherlock Holmes, to solve the case, reasoning that the murder of a dog is no less a crime than the murder of a human.

Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone – who has Autism – narrates the story, which is set in motion by the murder of Wellington, a neighbour’s poodle. Things are not quite that formulaic, however. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003) by Mark Haddon is, ostensibly, a murder mystery.

The night of the curious dog