The curious incident of the dog at midnight

-------------------------------------------------
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a 2003 novel by British writer Mark Haddon. It won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year[1] and the 2004 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book.[2] Its title is a quotation of a remark made by the fictional detectiveSherlockHolmes in Arthur Conan Doyle's 1892 short story "Silver Blaze".
The story is written in the first-person perspective of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy who describes himself as ‘a mathematician with some behavioral difficulties’ living in Swindon, Wiltshire. Although Christopher's condition within the autism spectrum is not stated explicitly within the novel, indeed, the words autism orAsperger's are not used by Christopher at all; the summary on the book's inside cover or back cover (depending on the edition) describes it as Asperger syndrome, high-functioning autism, or savant syndrome. In July 2009, Haddon stated on his blog that the book is not specifically about Asperger syndrome and that he is not an expert on the subject.[3]
Contents  [hide]  * 1 Characters * 2 Plot *3 Dedication * 4 Reception * 5 Film adaptation * 6 References * 7 External links |
-------------------------------------------------
[edit]Characters
* Christopher John Francis Boone: The protagonist of the novel, who investigates the murder of Mrs. Shears' large black poodle.
* Ed Boone: Christopher's father, a boiler engineer. Up to the beginning of the story, he has beenliving with Christopher as a single parent for two years.
* Judy Boone: Christopher's mother. Early in the book, Christopher writes that she died of a heart attack two years before the book's events.
* Siobhan: Christopher's para-professional, friend, and mentor. She teaches him how society works and how to behave within its complex guidelines.
* Mr Jeavons: the psychologist atChristopher's school.
* Mr Roger Shears: One of the neighbours who lived near the Boones, but has left his wife before the story begins.
* Mrs Eileen Shears: Mr Shears's wife, who attempts to console Ed for a time after Christopher learns of his mother's death.
* Mrs Alexander: an old lady, who is one of Christopher's neighbours, who offers information to help Christopher's investigation regardinghis parents and Mr and Mrs Shears.
* Wellington: Mrs. Shears' large black poodle, which Christopher finds dead in her garden, with a garden fork sticking out of him.
* Reverend Peters: the reverend of Christopher's local church.
* Rhodri: One of Ed's friends who works with him in the boiler business.
* Toby: Christopher's pet rat.
* Julie: Christopher's aide before Siobhan.-------------------------------------------------
[edit]Plot
Christopher, a fifteen-year-old boy with an autistic spectrum condition, lives with his father; he explains that his mother, Judy, died two years ago. He discovers the dead body of Wellington, the neighbour's dog, speared by a garden fork. Mrs Shears, Wellington's owner, calls the police, and Christopher comes under suspicion. When apoliceman touches him, he hits the policeman, and is arrested, then released with a caution. He decides to investigate the dog's death, despite his father's orders to stay out of other people's business. However, he is severely limited by his fears and difficulties when interpreting the world around him. Throughout his adventures, Christopher records his experiences in a book: a "murder mysterynovel". During his investigation, Christopher meets people whom he has never before encountered, even though they live on the same street, including the elderly Mrs Alexander, who informs Christopher that his mother had an affair with Mr Shears and had been with him for a long time.
Ed, his father, discovers the book and confiscates it from Christopher, after a brief fight between them. While...