The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

This novel tells us of an adventure undertaken by Christopher Boone. Christopher is 15 years old and he has with Asperger's Syndrome. He lives with his dad, and they have a very close relationship. This adventure begins when Christopher finds a neighbour's dog murdered on the lawn. Disappointed by the lack of concern that the local adults have after this crime, he sets about trying to find the culprit himself. The journey turns his whole world around.

This innocent and honest boy is forced to make some brave decisions, and when his investigations require him to travel away from home, he must face his fears to solve the mystery.

A curious book indeed, this story is written in a first person narrative and so we get to experience the inner workings of Christopher's mind. The way in which Haddon writes is both insightful and moving, and not at all patronising. Christopher's Asperger's Syndrome is handled sensitively, but without shying away from the difficulties faced by parents and carers, as well as the difficulties faced by those with the condition when integrating with others.

The plot itself is quite tame whilst never being boring, but it is the writing around it that makes this such a magical story, promoting understanding and patience.

Given that this is now a West End show I'm not sure how this has been translated to stage. Most of the book is spent in Christopher's thoughts, so I'm very intrigued to see how they managed that. I'd very much like to see this in theatre though.