The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Book Review Final Draft

1.What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?

8.Pick a character that interested you and write about them in depth. You can also analyze a relationship between two different characters.

In the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, an autistic boy named Christopher narrates his perspective of life as he tries to solve a mystery of a murdered dog. As the story plays out, Christopher’s autism is viewed by the readers

“The next day I saw 4 yellow cars in a row on the way to school, which made it a Black Day, so I didn’t eat anything at lunch and I sat in the corner of the room all day… another Black Day too, so I didn’t speak to anyone and for the whole afternoon I sat in the corner of the Library groaning with my head pressed into the join between the two walls and this made me feel calm and safe. But on the third day I kept my eyes closed all the way until we got off the bus because after I have had 2 Black Days in a row I’m allowed to do that.”(53)

This is an example of Haddon allowing the reader to understand how an autistic person thinks and acts to their surroundings. The quote shows Christopher reacting to something someone that isn’t autistic wouldn’t naturally react to.  A person without autism wouldn't normally notice the color of the cars, and even if they did, they would not isolate themselves in a corner and groan at school or work. They might find it weird or even funny, but that would be all they care for that row of same-colored cars. All of this is why I think Haddon’s purpose of this book is so that the reader understands why some autistic people act a way. He wants to show that autistic people don’t really want to do what they do on purpose, and they know their limits and how to control themselves. After two consecutive days of sitting in the corner alone, Christopher gets the willpower to avoid another day of repeating his Black Day ritual.

“And he said, “what’s 251 times 864?” And I thought about this and I said, “216,864… And I said, “Is that right?” And Rhodri said, “I haven’t got a bloody clue…”(66)

This quote also shows how Haddon wants the reader to understand autistic people more. Christopher immediately solves the math problem, but after saying out the answer, he explains to the reader how he got that answer in a step by step method. This shows how autistic people have abilities that “regular” people usually do not have, and that autistic people can be just as smart as “regular” people, if not more since Rhodri, the person asking Christopher the question, didn’t even know the answer himself.

Another impact of his autism towards his life is the relationship he has with his father. His father stays very patient with him even though he is merely impossible to work with.
“Father said, “Promise me you will stop doing these things. Promise that you will give up this ridiculous game right now, OK?” I said, “I promise.”(50)
This shows how Christopher's father tries to give his son the what is best for him through thick and thin. Even though Christopher blankly promised that he would not be nosy and investigate, he still does it. He simply convinces himself inside his mind that his father wasn't clear enough for him to follow the rules.

“I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want to get into trouble. Then I thought that this was a Super Good Day and something special hadn't happened yet, so it was possible that talking to Mrs. Alexander was the special thing that was going to happen. And I thought that she might tell me something about Wellington or about Mr. Shears without me asking her, so that wouldn't be breaking my promise.”(55)

This part of the story shows just how disobedient Christopher is. He would follow his own mind even though he knew what was right and what was wrong. He simply twisted his father's words into something that was just supposed to be broken and avoided in any way. Though I am a little mad at Christopher for being so ignorant, I am impressed that he found a way to slide through such a promise. It seemed so straightforward and clear, but Christopher's mind found an easy way to avoid the guidelines. Christopher later gets caught and seems to not even care for what his father has to say. What is worse is that the second Christopher finds out that his father killed the dog, he forgets all of the things that his father did because he loved him. All of the times his father stood by his side were immediately erased from Christopher's mind. All he thought about was that his father was evil and untrustworthy, and that he needed to run away from him. This really shows how 
the author wanted the reader to see how an autistic person acts to what is happening around him.


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. The autistic point of view of the book really makes the reader think twice when judging someone that is mentally ill. It is also interesting because it introduces a whole new way of thinking of things, from how to do a math problem or just tackling a regular problem. Overall, I really think this is a good book due to it being interesting, funny, and intense all throughout the book.