The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
Vintage Contemporaries, 2004

In a review to a story on Fanfiction.net, fanfic author Anonymous-cat said "I really think that, for character development, first person is the best way to write." Having both read and written stories in first and third person, I must agree. While for most purposes, the third-person point of view in a story will do the job (especially if the story switches between the points of view of several characters), there are times when, to do a story the proper justice, it must be told by the one who experienced it firsthand and not by a third party. After all, an external narrator can only get so far into a character's head.

First-time author Mark Haddon could probably have written The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the third person and gotten away with it -- the story of an autistic teenager who sets out to solve the mystery of a dog's death is an intriguing enough concept on its own. But instead Haddon has chosen to let young Christopher tell his own story (he is "writing" the book), and in the process gives us not only a great story, but a stunning and revealing look into the mind of a boy who sees our world differently than most.

Christopher's narration style takes some getting used to -- he uses description reluctantly (his guidance counselor told him it would make for a better book), he alternates narrative chapters with chapters relating to everything from the death of his mother to why he finds the prospect of an afterlife confusing to his love of Sherlock Holmes, and he tends to get bogged down in unnecessary details. But in my opinion, this does not detract from the novel. Rather, it shows how his mind works and how he sees the world around him.

Be warned that this book contains a moderate amount of explicit language. Otherwise, I would readily recommend it to anyone, whether they wish to learn more about autism or just want a reading experience that's a little bit different.