Overall, this novel really affected me in many different ways. Since I was rereading it, I had a different experience. I had to keep in mind the reader I was then and the reader I’ve become. Christopher’s story is one that really resonates with me. I’m a fan of the coming of age story and to me, that’s what this book is. Lies are something that everyone has to deal with. Everyone’s parents have lied to them at some point. Whether it’s about Santa or something more serious, we’ve all had to deal with finding out a truth, and eventually growing from it. Christopher gains maturity, and even though he has to learn to trust his father again, by the end of the story it seems very likely that things will work themselves out.
Christopher’s disorder is really the most important part of this story, for me. He never outright states that he has Asperger Syndrome and this gives readers a chance to see him the way he sees himself. With all of his quirks and his differences, he turns out to be a genuinely likeable narrator and character. The unconventional style of writing, the prime numbered chapters, everything that should seem odd just makes it more enjoyable. The humor is never forced, it’s never even implied, it just simply is. Christopher’s lack of emotional understanding creates a place for the reader to place their emotions. I empathized with Christopher when he could empathize with others. I tried to be understanding when he couldn’t understand something. I felt sadness where he could only feel fear. The parallels that Haddon manages to create are amazing. I truly enjoyed every page of this book, and I’m excited to revisit it yet again in the future, when I’m an even different reader.

Today I want to explore the way lies affect the story. I'd like to get right to the biggest lie of them all; Christopher's father telling him that his mother has died. The idea that Christopher's mother has tragically died permeates the entire first half of the book. It makes the reader sympathetic to Christopher and his father's situation. It paints their relationship as one of a father and son who rely on each other and understand each other. Sadly, when the truth came out I saw everything in a very different light. Christopher's father became this dishonest, and even somewhat sick man. Obviously he was just trying to protect Christopher, but the whole idea didn't seem too well thought out. What if his wife had decided to come back? And the most important of them all, what would Christopher think if he learned the truth? Christopher's reaction to the situation is devastating. He is affected physically, vomiting all over the bed and basically passing out. He seems to be feeling the proper things in reaction to the situation. Yet he still behaves logically when he decides he's no longer safe with his father and finds his way to his mother.

The lies in this story pervade the entire structure of everything. It shows the unexpected nature of life. Here Christopher was trying to determine who killed Mrs. Shears' dog, and it turns out there's a much bigger mystery at hand. It begs the question, when is a lying to your children doing more harm than good? Even though Christopher doesn't understand human emotion, his world is still rocked by the truth, and he has to make decisions for himself no 15 year old boy should.

In this post I'd like to take a deeper look at Christopher's character. First, and what might be seen as most importantly by some, Christopher has what is called Asperger Syndrome. It is a variant of autism, characterized by difficulty with social interaction, as well as restricted and repetitive behavior. Also, atypical use of language has been regularly observed. With the knowledge of Christopher’s disorder clear, the situations in the book begin to make sense. For example, from the very beginning we learn that Christopher really likes math, and is very good at it. Also, he has a photographic memory. He describes his brain as a type of file system. Overall, he seems like an extremely intelligent young man. But he also displays the restricted and repetitive behavior in many ways as well. He doesn’t like things that are yellow, and he decides whether his day will be good or not based solely on the number of various colored cars on his bus ride to school. Also, he cannot tell a lie, which turns out to be one of the most important parts of his character. Lies will be discussed in the next blog!

The ending of this story is really interesting to me. Christopher and his mother have made their way back to Swindon, and Christopher is living with his mother in a small, dingy boarding house of sorts. After the intial fights between his parents, things have smoothed out, and he passes his math exams with the highest grade. He is rebuilding his relationship with his father, and I love the last few sentences he writes.

"And then I will get a First Class Honors degree and I will become a scientist. And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything." (221 Haddon)

There's so much real, raw hope in that statement. Christopher's determination is pure and fueled by his experiences, and his growth. It's really, really amazing. Definitely a fitting ending to such a tumultuous story.

At the climax of the story, Christopher finds letters that his mother has been mailing him. It turns out his father has lied to him about his mother's death. This is a vital point in the development of Christopher’s character. His disability plays a major role in how he copes with this discovery. Since he thinks so logically, he assumes that since his father has admitted to killing the dog, he could very well do the same to him. We then are able to see Christopher’s journey to find his mother, to find safety and comfort. Despite seeming to lack most human emotion, Christopher still exhibits basic human instinct. He thinks he’ll be safe with his mother, and so he does whatever it takes to get to her. He uses all his skills and intellect and actually makes it to his mother’s flat in London.

When I first started reading the book, I had actually forgotten most of the story. After a few pages it all started coming back to me, bit by bit. Christopher's character was just as likeable. I enjoyed the way the story was placed before the reader. At first it seems like the entire book is really going to be devoted to the mystery of who killed Mrs. Shears’ dog. Really, the first 50 pages of the book is just the reader getting know Christopher. He explains every little detail of his own behavior and eventually it’s much easier to understand his character as a whole, as well as how to use the knowledge when interpreting the events of the novel.

Hi, I'm Siobahn, and this is my blog for ENG 280 at Michigan State University. I've chosen to focus on the novel The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-time , and for many reasons.

I first read this book almost 6 years ago, not too long after it had come out. My father had purchased it, read it himself and then insisted I read it as well. I ended up really enjoying the story and Christopher's character, so when I saw the book was listed on my syllabus for this course I was really excited to revisit everything after having matured as a reader over the past few years.

I'm a frequent re-reader of novels. I have my favorites and I read them at certain times of the year, or when I'm experiencing certain feelings. Sometimes I just glance at the title on my bookshelf and feel an overwhelming desire to visit that story again. I hadn't thought about Haddon's novel in a very long time. It was somewhere in my father's bookshelf in the basement and when I asked him to find it for me so I wouldn't have to purchase it for the class, he immediately became excited. We talked about my first time reading it and during the conversation I recalled my initial feelings on the book.

Reading this book at 14, with a lot less knowledge on Christopher's condition, gave me a different perspective. I don't think for one minute while reading this book, that I saw Christopher as lacking in any area. To me, he was different and refreshing! His quirks and odd behavior brought something to the story I hadn't seen before. I embraced him, and I gobbled up the book in a few days. I enjoyed the twists. I felt like the big moments in the book were just big moments in his life, like the things we all experience as adolescents. I saw him coming of age, growing up, finding himself, and that was because I found myself trying to do the same.