Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

This book was just highly uncomfortable for me and feels much longer than it is. The main character and primary perspective is that of a teenage boy with an unnamed “emotional disorder” that is heavily implied to be autism. I’m sure there are things others can relate to but as one kind of autistic reader, I felt disconcerted by the presence of so many tropes and stereotypes, for lack of a better word. There were a few narrative moments that felt relatable but overall it just felt very clear to me that this author not only is not autistic but very likely hasn’t interacted meaningfully with any autistic people. It didn’t take much digging to confirm this suspicion. The animal violence and justification for it was also disturbing in a way that I couldn’t get past because the thought behind it is reminiscent of thought patterns that are so legitimately dangerous but it isn’t acknowledged as such when revealed.

Something I wrote about 10 days ago, the last time I picked up this books was:

I think I might hate this book. It feels rude almost and I don’t like the implication that people with aspbergers are somehow immune to other mental health conditions because of how our brains work. I don’t like the savant angle. I don’t like how unoriginal this boy is. It’s so frustrating to me and it’s making this 6 hour book feel like an eternity

I can see myself revisiting this book eventually because I’m curious about the family but for now I just want to move on from it.

Content Warnings

sarahkinney's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

While in 2003, the book was praised for autistic representation - the author's claim that he did not research the topic while writing the book is apparent while reading. Despite this, the book is an easy read, with a unique writing style and the twist is presented excellently.

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cheyrohm's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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noahsingh's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

2.0

mixed feelings about this book as someone on the spectrum, definitely related to the main character a lot but the amount of abuse he suffers from his family, which isn't properly condemned imho made me incredibly uncomfortable. yeah, wouldn't reccomend it to other people on the spectrum, definitely found it triggering

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fairy_gardenn's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

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a_alves00's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

While I thoroughly enjoyed being able to read this book through the perspective of someone with Autism, I really did not enjoy the plot or characters. there were also some racist undertones and micro aggressions. like when dreadlocks are explained they’re explained as dirty? and i can’t tell if that’s to allude to the locational and overall racism in the world and how the main character absorbs the info he’s fed or if it’s just straight up racism. so it was a little educational but not my fave unfortunately

Spoiler

like the mom??? she talked about how much she missed him, how broken up she was about it, and how much she regretted the way she treated him. but then when he started acting in ways that she didn’t like she did the same thing as before.. and i feel like we also glazed over the fact that because the dad was upset he killed a dog??

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