Book Reaction

                After reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, I would have to say that I actually enjoyed the book. I had my doubts when we first received the book, but I was able to learn many things by reading it.  The book isn’t a book I would typically read. It isn’t too exciting, but somehow Haddon does an excellent job of keeping the reader interested. Having the book written in the prospective of a mentally handicapped person, Christopher, was something new for me.

                The unusualness of this book is what kept me interested.  I now have a better understanding of what goes on in the mind of a person with a mental disability.  This book proved to me that there is actually a lot of intelligence running around in the mind of someone of Christopher’s type. Many disabled people in this world aren’t given the credit they deserve.  Christopher was able to travel all the way to London, on his own, to find his mother. I was very impressed with his accomplishment.

                Christopher’s journey to London and his family’s situation gave me mixed emotions.  First, I enjoyed watching the growth of Christopher on his trip. It proved to both the reader, Christopher family, and Christopher himself that he has the ability to survive in this world on his own.  Second, Christopher’s family life was a bit confusing to me. It seemed for the most part that Christopher’s father tried being as supportive and patient with Christopher as he could.  There were a few situations when his father got physical with him, and I didn’t like that. Also, I don’t get why his dad would ever keep his mother’s life a secret from him. I don’t care if he thought he was protecting him, it’s just wrong.

                Overall, this book was very interesting. Getting the chance to see what goes on in the life of a person with Aspergers syndrome was really fascinating. For some this book could have been viewed as boring, but for me Haddon did an excellent job of keeping me interested.  There is a new surprise at every flip of the page. Haddon also did an excellent job of showing development in Christopher’s character throughout the novel, which was very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this book to others.