The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Mark Haddon’s novel for young adults; ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ – is a book which I read (and loved) during high school. I decided to re-read it as part of my blog because I believe it is very suitable for use in secondary schools. I was in year eleven when I first read this novel- and in retrospect, I think this was probably the best time to read it. Although the text might also be studied in year ten – I believe that its complex themes deserve to be explored in real depth, and would recommend the text for use in year eleven (or even twelve) classes so that the most can be gained from it.

The story follows fifteen year old Christopher Boone – who (although it is never explicitly stated in the book) has a form of Autism. Most readers speculate that Christopher has Asperger Syndrome – however Haddon claims he did not write about a specific condition as he is not an expert in the field. Christopher is both the protagonist and the narrator of the book – which makes for a very involving story. Readers experience every event through Christopher’s eyes and so are drawn into his unique world.

Christopher takes readers on a journey of discovery as he attempts to solve a mystery and in the process uncovers much more that he first imagined. There are some strong themes within the book- including relationships and love, autism, being “different”, identity, spirituality, memories, stability and change. At times the subject matter becomes quite confronting and this is emphasised through Christopher’s matter-of-fact style of narration (no details are spared and no attempt is made to ‘soften’ the impact of difficult topics/events).  

Overall, I found this book to be moving, poignant at times profound. I would definitely recommend its use in classrooms as I feel that it provides some valuable messages and insights. Additionally, the text provides an excellent opportunity for students to practice literacy skills and learn about literary techniques- as there is plenty of material for analysis (symbolism, narration style, structure, language selection, character development, use of dialogue etc).