The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is narrated by Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old boy who describes himself as ‘a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties’. Although Christopher’s condition is not explicitly mentioned, the book’s blurb refers to Asperger’s syndrome.He lives in Swindon, Wiltshire, and lives a samey, dull life: every day, he goes to ‘special’ school, makes schedules and does math problems. When he discovers his neighbour’s dog dead in the backyard, he decides to track down the killer and write a murder mystery about it; but he ends up discovering more mysteries than he had expected to find, and his world is turned upside down.

By being written from the point of view of Christopher, who has Asperger’s syndrome, this book offers a greater understanding of what it is like to have the condition. I found this filter between the plot and the reader to be helpful and thought-provoking; it’s so easy for me to make judgements and assumptions about others who have learning difficulties, but it takes ‘becoming’ one to really appreciate what it’s like. At times cringey, humorous and desperately sad, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is harrowing and up-lifting.

I would recommend this book for people who are interested in learning more about what it’s like to have a form of Autism; although this book might not offer strictly factual information, it does offer an insight into their thought-process. It’s very readable; I would suggest this book for 11-year-olds and upwards.

My Ratings (out of 10 As):

Plot/Story: AAAAAAA

Writing: AAAAAAAA

Pace: Medium