The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time

Title : The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon

I saw this book last year in Popular at Batu Pahat when I was doing my data survey there. What caught my attention was the ORANGE cover and the unbelievable long title of the book. However, it wasn't enough to interest me yet. However, through the next few weeks, I noticed book reviews about this book in the newspapers so for a while there, I DID regret not buying the book.

Then one day I heard kak Zai talking about this book excitedly. Apparently, this book had won the Whitbread Book Award which is one of the highest rewards a book could get, according to Mama lah! By then, I couldn't even find the book in the bookstores, it was already selling like hot cakes.

Well, I won't go into the details of 'My Adventure Finding This Book', but believe me, it was kind'a frustrating when I couldn't buy it as a birthday gift to my brother (and would you believe it, the next week, I found a hidden copy of this book in Popular and I grabbed it! I'm not gonna wait another year for this book!)

This book is a narration of Chris (what was his last name, huh?). He's a fifteen year old boy with who's autistic. He's fascinated with numbers, has memorized all prime numbers up until 3000++ and is obsessive with having all his facts right. He doesn't like human contact, not even his parents' touch!

I've never personally REALLY known someone who has autism but I guess this book could give you quite an insight of their world. Mark Haddon has been working with autistic children so I'm sure he has tried his best to write this book from their point of view.

Chris (the narrator) has his life all planned out for him. He doesn't like to have his plans altered because he would feel as if his life was outta control. He is also a genius in maths and has the mind of an encyclopedia.

One day, his carefully planned life was disturbed by the death of his neighbour's dog. Chris frequently goes out to take a stroll at night because he reasons that at night, there aren't any people around so he won't have to afraid of their touch. That was when he found the dog who was killed with a garden 'fork'.

Chris, who admires Sherlock Holmes, then set out to investigate about the dog's death. At first, he was blamed on the incident since he was the one who found the dog but when the police realized the problems faced by Chris, they let him go (with his father la helping). This might be what set him to find out what really happened.

The book isn't mainly on Chris's investigaion. In fact, the chapters are alternated with facts that Chris wants to share (I love the chapter on our beloved MALAYSIA :)), his relationship with his teacher whom he calls Siobhan and other things that are going through his mind. Mark Haddon has managed to make us realized how different minds work. We could feel Chris's frustration when he realizes his father has been lying to him for the past two years. We understand how betrayed he has felt and how scared he was when he went to London to find his mother. In fact, somehow, we could relate to him!

The story isn't what you'd call amazing, but the writing is superb! I didn't really want to put down the book once I started reading it, thankfully, its not really a thick book! Its just an everyday story but since it comes from a special point of view, that makes the book so.. well, special!

The chapters in this book are quite unique as the don't go by our usual 1,2,3.. but it is arranged in the prime number sequence. I thought I had lost some pages in my book when I first realized the first chapter had a number '2' on it hehe.. It also has some puzzles in it and the example of the 'A' Levels Maths answer that Chris did and inserted in the book since he says it is very interesting!

All in all, I think I'll give a 4 star rating for this book, so you guys, go find the book and enjoy.. coz I sure did!

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Some things DO disturb me though.. is there anything as half autistic or something like that? Coz I found some similairities here.. errr..

1. Chris always used numbers to calm him down eg. counting to a hundred then calculating the square or cube for each number --> I used to do that whenever I was upset! Even when I'm tired of a journey, I'd add up the plate numbers, in my head la, of all cars I can see and try to relate them together.

2. He doesn't like public toilets or public places, fearing germs, I think! --> I always had this very extensive imagination of germs. I'd hate touching toilet doorknobs or taps bla.. bla.. bla.. coz I'd imagine the germ people have left before me, then I'd scrub my hand with soap till I think all the germs have gone away

3. Chris loves facts and hates it when people get them wrong --> For the meager facts I have stored in my head, I'm like this too. And I always get this urge to correct other peoples facts and grammer when I realize its wrong. Luckily, I'm too shy to talk to people I don't know plus the fact that I've taught myself to bite my tongue whenever I feel like doing it. I mean, people don't really like it, do they? Never REALLY tried correcting people, I usually just do it in my head!

4. Hey.. I think I'm gonna turn this into my blog entry lah pulak!