This is a novel written by Mark Haddon which won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year and the 2004 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book.



My Mother-In-Law recommended this book to me. This is NOT a parenting book. It is a novel that you can just sit down and enjoy.

Upon starting the book, you can tell it is going to be different. The first chapter is chapter 2.

The main character, Christopher, is a 15 year old Autistic boy. The story is told through his eyes. He is a math savant and likes prime numbers, so all the chapter numbers are prime numbers rather than going in the order of 1,2,3…. Because the book is written by the character, there is no complex sentence structure, and the writing may not seem to "flow". This is the reality of this character.

The title comes from the opening pages, where Christopher is out walking around the neighborhood, and discovers the neighbor’s dog has been killed. Someone has killed it with a pitchfork. Christopher does not handle this well. The neighbor suspects him of killing the dog and she calls the police. The officer tries to touch Christopher, but he does not like to be touched. He assaults the officer and is taken to jail.

Christopher makes it his mission to find out who killed the dog. Through his investigation, he discovers things that set his “ordered” world on edge.

I do not personally know anything who is Autistic. What I know about Autism only comes from research on special needs adoption, or what I’ve seen on TV. This book gives you insight into the world of an Autistic person.

Christopher does not like to be touched, does not like the color yellow, to the point that he adds food dye to yellow food, and he copes with stressful situations by counting prime numbers or “doing groaning”.

Christopher is being raised by a single father. The book explores the tolls that special needs parenting takes on a marriage, and a single parent.


But is it realistic, or is it fiction?

Here is a review from Amazon.com.

As parent to a profoundly gifted teen with Asperger's... I found the Curious Incident to be very realistic and incredibly moving. I've never before had such a window into my son's personal world.

If you are so inclined, there is a website, Reading Group Guides.com that has discussion questions about the book.

Whether you are looking for a good novel to enjoy, or want to learn more about the world of Autism, I highly recommend this book. The discussions questions listed above, are very helpful in understanding more about Autism.

Happy reading.

Parenting Special Kids