The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a very moving novel by Mark Haddon because it stirred many emotions for me. Whether I was laughing or in tears, I looked forward to reading the next chapter. This novel is story of a boy named Christopher who has a form of autism which makes him to see the world in ways different from most people. He loves math, schedules, and his rat Toby. He is afraid of unfamiliar places, strangers, and loneliness. He is a very intelligent boy, but his disorder disconnects him from others as well as the rest of the world. One day, his neighbor, Mrs.Shears, finds her dog murdered in the front lawn and Christopher thinks that he needs to solve this murder mystery even though his father discourages him. At times, he feels distant from his father, but that is the only family he has. He has no maternal figure in his life because his father told him that his mother died when he was younger. Christopher’s investigation leads him to a pile of letters written from his mom, who he finds out is actually still alive. His father confronts him and admits to lying to his son about his mom's death and the murder of the dog. His father said that Christopher’s mom ran away with Mr.Shears and that is why he killed the dog. Christopher's fear of being killed by his father leads him to his mother’s house in London. He overcomes his fear of traveling, but later decides that the best thing for him was to return to his father’s house because his rat was there and he needed to pass the A Math level, which he eventually did. It took Chrisopher’s father a while to regain his trust back, but he always had Christopher’s best interest at heart. This book ends with Christopher looking at the future with no worries, regrets, or fears. I feel like by the end of the novel, I really connected with Christopher. Yes, I felt sorry for him because there was so much going in his mind that he could not explain to anyone; therefore, no one understood him or the situation he was in. At the same time, we had a similar habit. I didn’t think anyone made schedules of what they were going to be doing every hour of everyday except me. During school days, I too plan out what I’m going to do so that I don’t waste any time. It seemed like a weird thing to do, but now I realize that is what makes me, well me. The best part about the book was when Christopher was doing a math problem, drawing a picture, or seeing something for the first time, there was an actual illustration for it in the book. It took back me back to my preschool days when every page of every book I read had a picture. This was a very sweet, light book, and there is definitely something special and unforgettable about it. I think it made me realize that everyone has fears just like Christopher but if we ever want to achieve something, we have to overcome them. Like Christopher said, “I can do anything” and that is something we should all say to ourselves.