Book Review: “The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-time”
“The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-time” is a novel written by Mark Haddon, and it features a young Boy Christophe John Francis Booner, who has autism. When his neighbor’s dog Wellington is killed, he sets out to solve the murder mystery. Through his journey, the reader gets a look into the intricate workings of the mind of an autistic person. The author seeks to show not only the difficulties experienced by persons with autism but also their strengths and abilities to achieve amazing things independently.
Due to Christopher’s condition, he is unable to communicate in the way that ordinary people do. Instead of using facial expressions to understand more about what people say, he relies on what people say to be the truth. For example, in chapter 41, after getting out of the police cell, Christopher finds his father crying. He does not realize that his father is lying about his reason for crying. He believes his explanation without any doubt.
Additionally, his social skills are hindered by his condition; in the first part of the novel, he only interacts with people that he is familiar with. In chapter 67, he says,” It takes me a long time to get used to people I do not know.” The only people he interacts with include Siobhan, father, Mrs. Shears, and Mrs. Alexander. His attempts to interact with people beyond his circle do not always end well. For instance, when he tries to communicate with the police, he attacks them, which ends with him in the cell. This could show how limited his chances are in the future (Mayo Clinic), even though he is more talented and excels in areas that most people find to be hard. However, despite his lack of social skills and limited interaction, he can travel to London and find his mother. This shows how he can be independent if he is given a chance. Also, he cannot lie “because the lie itself has to be replaced by another event that has occurred and stored in the memory.” This can work as both virtue and a weakness (Loftis, 23).
Additionally, Haddon shows how an autistic person processes information. Normal people glance at things and move on without paying attention; however, autistic people like Christopher take in everything because of their photographic memory “My memory is like a film. That is why I am good at remembering things, like the conversations I have written”(Haddon, 96). It then becomes a problem when they are faced with too many foreign things at once. When Christopher is at a train station, he is so overwhelmed by the many signs that he decides to occupy his mind with puzzles and quadratic equations. At one point, he walks with his hands folded into a tunnel so he can block out the signs and even pass out. This is an insight into the difficulties that autistic people face when dealing with ordinary situations.
Autistic people such as Christopher have some patterns of behavior that are different from other people’s. For instance, Christopher prefers things to be done in a specific order; he does not want his food to touch each other on his plate, never likes to be hugged or touched, and can be easily angered. When things happen in an unexpected order, they might become overwhelmed and end up “curling in a ball” to block out the things they do not like. However, other people assume he is like them, and in such situations, they are faced with anxieties. Christopher even barks lie a dog to keep away strangers. However, his brave decision to travel to London after discovering that his father lied to him about his mother, he begins to grow as an individual (Haddon, 120).
In conclusion, despite all these differences, autistic people are very gifted in aspects such as mathematics and Physics. This is because they rely on logic to solve problems and to make sense of things. It is through logic that Christopher can solve the case of Wellington’s murder. It also through logic that he finds his way to the railway station and his mother’s home. He ends up excelling in has A ‘level Mathematics test and aspires to do even better in the coming exams. Therefore, the author shows that there is more to autistic people than just depending on others. They are powerful, logical, and independent. They can achieve great things when given a chance.
References
Haddon, M. The Curious Case of The Dog In the Nighttime. Jonathan Cape. 2003.
“Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 6 Jan. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-condition
Loftis, S. F.: Imagining autism: Fiction and stereotypes on the spectrum. Indiana University printing press. 2015.