A review by rucha_s
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The best thing about this book was the narration from the POV of a protagonist who is autistic. It made the reading challenging, confusing, frustrating but simultaneously rewarding. Mark Haddon has done a remarkable job of creating one of the most memorable protagonists I've come across and that singular point makes this a dazzling read.
Now for what I didn't find appealing - That this book is classified as a murder mystery, however, the murderer is revealed at about the 50% mark which was way too soon! Once this reveal occurs, it is all about another subplot, which although in itself is rather interesting, it also kind of takes away the essence of the book being a murder mystery :/
Final words - Worth a read simply for the character of Christopher Boone. Also worth noting that the narration is lacking the usual sentence structure and punctuation - that is just to add to the authenticity of the experience, however, some readers might find this off putting. Do skip this book if you're looking for an easy feel good read. While it is feel good, it is certainly not an easy read.
Now for what I didn't find appealing - That this book is classified as a murder mystery, however, the murderer is revealed at about the 50% mark which was way too soon! Once this reveal occurs, it is all about another subplot, which although in itself is rather interesting, it also kind of takes away the essence of the book being a murder mystery :/
Final words - Worth a read simply for the character of Christopher Boone. Also worth noting that the narration is lacking the usual sentence structure and punctuation - that is just to add to the authenticity of the experience, however, some readers might find this off putting. Do skip this book if you're looking for an easy feel good read. While it is feel good, it is certainly not an easy read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Excrement, Animal death, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Vomit, and Panic attacks/disorders