In Case You Were Wondering...The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

If you think this book has an interesting title, it's because it's quite an interesting book. I recommended this book when you are in a reading slump because not only is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time a pretty quick read, but it switches up the format you are used to when picking up a novel (even by looking at how the chapters are numbered you will understand what I mean). It is so engaging that I devoured the 274 pages in just one sitting. If you are trying to get back into reading, I would highly recommend this be a first pick to help you do so.

This story is told in the point of view of an autistic 15-year-old by the name of Christopher John Francis Boone. It begins when Christopher wants to solve the mystery of who murdered his neighbor's dog in the middle of the night. But the more he talks to people, the more he (and you) learns about the world around him and how things aren't exactly as they seem.

I loved how this book was written, because it is so interesting to see the world through the lens that is Christopher's mind. He is obviously a very intelligent person; throughout the book that Christopher is writing himself, he shares a lot of facts and concepts that I was completely unfamiliar with. But on the social side of things, Christopher has a disconnect with the people around him. He processes emotions very differently than someone that does not have autism. I thought it was very interesting to be able to read deeper meanings into the things the characters say, while also seeing how they can be misunderstood or misconstrued when the person they are talking to has no experience with reading between the lines.

He has a very complicated relationship with his father, and it causes the reader to feel some conflicting emotions as well. Christopher's father clearly loves him very much, but you can see the realistic frustration that a parent may face when trying to find the best ways to communicate with their neurodivergent child. Even though I am not a parent, I could appreciate the relatability of wanting desperately to convey love to someone and sheer effort not being enough to get the message across. The reality is that people will do what they think is best in the moment, and sometimes that comes back to hurt them or someone else in the future. Despite the fact that some of the communication and understanding differences reach an extreme at some points in this novel, you can't help but root for the reconciliation between Christopher and his father as they relearn how to understand each other.

As a reader, you get to join Christopher on his journey of discovering what really happened to the dog, as well as how not everyone can be trusted to tell you the truth all the time. Along this journey, I truly developed a love for Christopher and gained an understanding about how some people see the world in a different way. Those differences become strengths, and you realize that someone that you may have a hard time verbally connecting with may have incredible strengths that you will never fully grasp.

If you do choose to read this book, or if you have read it and are just curious to see what someone else got out of it, I hope that you can take some of these concepts into consideration. I also hope that because of this story you can make an effort to be more understanding and accepting to those around you. It truly is the first step to making this world a better place for everyone living in it.

Thank you for once again for taking a look at what I have to say, it means a lot to know that there are even a few of you out there who are interested. I took quite a break between my last post and this one, but I will be back very soon to talk about one of my favorite books growing up, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. See you soon!