∆ About the Author :
The son of an architect, Mark Haddon was born in Northampton, England in 1962 and studied English at Merton College, Oxford. He became a carer for disabled people in Scotland after university, an experience which would inform his later work. His first writing work was as a children's author and illustrator.
Haddon is most famous for his novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time which won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award in 2003 and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize Overall Best First Book in 2004. This novel was the first Haddon wrote specifically for an adult audience, although it was eventually marketed to both adults and children. Haddon's earlier works include the children's series Agent Z. He also wrote the screenplay adaptation of Raymond Brigg's story Fungus the Bogeyman which was screened on BBC1 in 2004. In 2009 Haddon donated his short story The Island to Oxfam's 'Ox-Tales' project.
Haddon is a vegetarian as well as a hard line atheist who lives in Oxford with his wife, Dr. Sos Eltis, a Fellow of Brasenose College, and their two sons. He enjoys canoeing, cycling and running marathons.
∆ 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' :
“I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them”
The story of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time begins by Christopher chronicling his investigation of who killed his neighbor’s dog. But, a huge discovery along the way causes Christopher to investigate something more scandalous. Christopher is then determined to track down somebody who he is more interested in meeting.
The plot is interesting, unique and heart wrenching. Reading the things that this boy does and says and thinks is such a different experience. Through Christopher, the main character, we get a sense of feeling from the people he writes about. He writes about the characters' reactions, and through that, we can imagine their feelings.
“Sometimes we get sad about things and we don’t like to tell other people that we are sad about them. We like to keep it a secret. Or sometimes, we are sad but we really don’t know why we are sad, so we say we aren’t sad but we really are.”
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is written skilfully. The chapters are written on seemingly unrelated topics sometimes, just as, I imagine, an autistic person would write. The sentences are very much like the title. Haddon’s phrasing, descriptions, thought, and speech as Christopher often made me stop and reread what I just read.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time solves the mystery of a small incident in life and leaves us questioning the bigger unsolved mystery of being such a complicated creature. Also emphasizes how very small things in life are actually the most important ones that keep us alive inside and make our lives worth living. (sorry for the cliché). The part that moved me most was the part where both parents repeatedly express their pain for not being able to hug their child..
“I think people believe in heaven because they don’t like the idea of dying, because they want to carry on living and they don’t like the idea that other people will move into their house and put their things into the rubbish.”
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time offers a big insight into the mind of someone with autism. The story is told by a quirky narrative which details random facts, stories and opinions of Christopher, and how he best explains the reasons for his odd habits and behavior. This novel demonstrates some good introspection by the character of Christopher, and features his great attempts to improve his social skills and his understanding of other people.
Thank You…
