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A review by snrkville
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
A terrible portrayal of autism by an author who has admitted to doing next to no research.
A story about an abused child acting out his trauma and receiving no real sympathy or protection from anyone, ultimately being forced to rely on his abusers for support after they face no consequences whatsoever for heinous and illegal acts of child abuse. And worst of all they are portrayed sympathetically. It’s no wonder that toxic organizations like Autism Speaks endorse it - it reflects the self-pitying attitude of parents who cannot accept their children’s differences because they’re too busy crying over the perfect family they imagine they’d have with a neurotypical child instead of accepting them as they are and providing a safe and loving environment. I don’t think the author even thought that deeply about the story he was writing, to be honest. Yet another stereotypical story about a math genius egotistical autistic kid who feels nothing for anyone, which is completely unrooted in the reality of autistic experience. Not to mention the sadly lacking mystery that the title advertised.
I am sad to learn that middle schoolers are required to read it instead of a story that engages neurodiversity with compassion and knowledge.
A story about an abused child acting out his trauma and receiving no real sympathy or protection from anyone, ultimately being forced to rely on his abusers for support after they face no consequences whatsoever for heinous and illegal acts of child abuse. And worst of all they are portrayed sympathetically. It’s no wonder that toxic organizations like Autism Speaks endorse it - it reflects the self-pitying attitude of parents who cannot accept their children’s differences because they’re too busy crying over the perfect family they imagine they’d have with a neurotypical child instead of accepting them as they are and providing a safe and loving environment. I don’t think the author even thought that deeply about the story he was writing, to be honest. Yet another stereotypical story about a math genius egotistical autistic kid who feels nothing for anyone, which is completely unrooted in the reality of autistic experience. Not to mention the sadly lacking mystery that the title advertised.
I am sad to learn that middle schoolers are required to read it instead of a story that engages neurodiversity with compassion and knowledge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death