Every so often a book comes along that is so original and wonderful that you can't believe the pleasure you are getting as you read it. You don't want it to end. You want to go up to people in the street and tell them to read this amazing book so that they can experience what you are experiencing. It becomes a must-share thing. Books can't go on forever, but when a book really and truly grabs you the only thing you can do when you've finished it is to pass your pleasure onto someone else. Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is an extraordinary book that takes you over as you read it. It is warm, sad and often laugh-aloud funny. It is one of those rare novels that makes you want to talk about it as if it were real and not fiction. Christopher Boone is an intelligent and likeable 15-year-old who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a type of autism. He knows every prime number up to 7,507 and he is planning to get the top grade when he sits his A-level maths in a few weeks. He likes puzzles, red cars and the stars in the sky. All these things make him feel comfortable and safe. But he cannot cope with anyone touching him and he will start to scream if anyone at all comes towards him with their hands held out. He cannot eat brown food, and if he sees yellow cars in the street on his way to school, he knows that it is going to be a bad day. He likes his life to be organised and filled with routine, and he can understand people if they say exactly what they mean and explain clearly what they want him to do. Christopher operates in a different world to the rest of us, and sometimes he finds other people difficult and confusing. It is when he gets confused that he gets into trouble. Christopher lives with his widowed father and the two of them are coping very well until one evening when Christopher makes an unexpected discovery that will change his life forever. He finds a dead dog in a neighbour's garden. The black poodle has not died from natural causes. It has been stabbed to death with a garden fork. Christopher decides to turn detective and track down the murderer. Slowly he pulls away at all the clues he finds until he discovers a lot of secrets that would have been better left hidden. Haddon tells his story completely from Christopher's point of view and this is just one of the remarkable aspects of this outstanding book. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time begins as an intriguing mystery story and ends up as a piece of fiction that is unforgettable and deeply moving. We loved it - and more! The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time By Mark Haddon Published by David Fickling Books ISBN 0385605870 (hardback) ISBN 0099450259 (Vintage paperback) John Millen can be contacted on MillenBookshelf@aol.com
