The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time follows Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old boy with autism, as he investigates the mysterious death of a neighbor's dog. Set in Swindon, England, the novel explores themes of family, truth, and the challenges of living with a unique perspective on the world. Mark Haddon crafts a narrative that combines humor and poignancy, allowing readers to experience the world through Christopher's eyes. This book is ideal for readers interested in contemporary fiction and those seeking insight into neurodiversity. The story is both a mystery and a coming-of-age tale, making it a compelling read for a wide audience.

Key Points

Explores the life of Christopher Boone, a teenager with autism, as he navigates personal challenges and social interactions.
Delves into the themes of truth and perception, highlighting how Christopher's unique viewpoint shapes his understanding of the world.
Set in Swindon, England, the novel provides a rich backdrop for Christopher's investigation into the death of a neighbor's dog.
Combines elements of mystery and humor, making it an engaging read for fans of contemporary literature.

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Author:Mark Haddon

158 pages

Language:English

Type:Novel

Exams

newtopiccyclegrowin

Author:Mark Haddon

158 pages

Language:English

Type:Novel

Exams

155

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

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eVersion 3.0 - click for Inside Flap / Scan Notes

PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY

a division of Random House,Inc.

DOUBLEDAY and the portrayal of an anchor

with a dolphin are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations,

places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's

imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons,

living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Book design by Maria Carella

Underground logo, fabric designs, and line diagrams are reproduced with the

kind permission of Transport for London. Kuoni advertisement reproduced with

the kind permission of Kuoni Travel Ltd. A-level maths question reproduced

with the kind permission of Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR). Every

effort has been made to trace other copyright holders, and the publishers will

be happy to correct mistakes or omissions in future editions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Haddon, Mark.

The curious incident of the dog in the night-time :

a novel / Mark Haddon. -- 1st ed. p. cm.

Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher,

a mathematically gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to

investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret

information about his mother.

[1. Autism -- Fiction. 2. Savants (Savant syndrome) -- Fiction.

3. England -- Fiction.]

I. Title.

PZ7.H1165 Cu 2003 [Fie] -- dc21 2002031355

ISBN 0-385-50945-6

Printed in the United States of America

July 2003

First Edition

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

www.kevinwood.blogfa.com

This book is dedicated to

Sos

With thanks to

Kathryn Heyman, Clare Alexander,

Kate Shaw and Dave Cohen

It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs.

Shears's house. Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it was running on its side, the way dogs run when they

think they are chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead. There

was a garden fork sticking out of the dog. The points of the fork must have gone all the way through the

dog and into the ground because the fork had not fallen over. I decided that the dog was probably killed

with the fork because I could not see any other wounds in the dog and I do not think you would stick a

garden fork into a dog after it had died for some other reason, like cancer, for example, or a road accident.

But I could not be certain about this.

I went through Mrs. Shears's gate, closing it behind me. I walked onto her lawn and knelt beside the dog.

I put my hand on the muzzle of the dog. It was still warm.

The dog was called Wellington. It belonged to Mrs. Shears, who was our friend. She lived on the opposite

side of the road, two houses to the left.

Wellington was a poodle. Not one of the small poodles that have hairstyles but a big poodle. It had curly

black fur, but when you got close you could see that the skin underneath the fur was a very pale yellow,

like chicken.

I stroked Wellington and wondered who had killed him, and why.

Overview

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

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Figures

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

and I knew that it meant "sad," which is what I felt when I found the dead dog.

and I knew that it meant "happy," like when I'm reading about the Apollo space missions, or when I am

but I was unable to say what these meant.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon — My name is Christopher John Francis Boone. I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities

And then I thought about how for a long time scientists were puzzled by the fact that the sky is dark at

Then you take away all the numbers that are multiples of 2. Then you take away all the numbers that are

The rule for working out prime numbers is really simple, but no one has ever worked out a simple

I did it at school with Mrs. Peters, who does art, and it was a lino cut, which is when you draw a picture

Then I made sure I had my Swiss Army knife in my pocket and I went out and I knocked on the door of

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon — But Marilyn vos Savant was right. And here are 2 ways you can show this.

And when I looked at it for a long time I could see it moving very slowly and it was like an alien

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon — Then, after lunch, I spent the afternoon doing art with Mrs. Peters and I painted some pictures of aliens

Then we went and looked at the giraffes. And the smell of their poo was like the smell inside the gerbil

I only know 3 people who do little circles instead of dots over the letter

Which meant that the letter was posted on 16 October 1997, which was 18 months after Mother had died.

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

And when is between 3 and 3.57 the population goes in cycles like this

But when , is greater than 3.57 the population becomes chaotic like in the first graph.

But this is really silly because it is just stars, and you could join up the dots in any way you wanted, and

And there aren't any lines in space, so you could join bits of

And then I imagined crossing out all the possibilities which were impossible, which is like in a maths

Which meant that I had to go to London to live with Mother. And I could do it by going on a train

And when I saw the van I was sick again. But I knew I was going to be sick this time so I didn't sick all

And that was how I found the train station, and I concentrated really hard on following the rules and

And I realize that I told a lie in Chapter 13 because I said "I cannot tell jokes," because I do know 3 jokes

But this is not a very accurate map of the station because I was scared so I was not noticing things very

And you can move a colored tile only if it can jump over a colored tile horizontally or vertically (but not

And you have to see how far you get the colored tiles above the starting horizontal line, and you start by

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon — And then you do something like this

And I know what the answer is because however you move the colored tiles you will never get a colored

and then I looked up and saw that there was a policeman standing in front of me and he was saying,

And I asked the policeman, "How much does it cost to get a ticket for a train to London?"

And this is a map of everything and everywhere, and the future is on the right and the past is on the left

And I had been looking at my watch since the train had started at 12:59 p.m. And the first stop had been

But after a few seconds they looked like this

because there were too many and my brain wasn't working properly and this frightened me so I closed my

And I thought, "I can do this," because I was doing really well and I was in London and I would find my

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon — And then I was in a smaller room underground and there were lots of people and there were pillars which

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon — Figure 44

And then the bottom line scrolled up and disappeared and a different line scrolled up into its place and the

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon — And I kept my eyes closed and I didn't look at my watch at all. And the trains coming in and out of the

And I was sitting on the ground and the woman knelt down on one knee and she said, "Is there anything I

And there was a pattern on the seats like this

Then the train wobbled a lot and I had to hang on to a rail and we went into a tunnel and it was noisy and

So I went up the staircase and over the bridge and I put my ticket in the little gray gate and went into the

And then Mother made me take my clothes off and get into the bath and she said I could use her towel,

and these people are all special people like me. And they like being on their own and I hardly ever see

And I said, "I have to go back to Swindon."

And then I heard Mother's voice and she was shouting, "Christopher. . . ? Christopher. . . ?" and she was

And after lunch Siobhan said that she had spoken to Mrs. Gascoyne and she still had my A-level papers in

And you had to detach the top part of the puzzle from the bottom part, and it was really difficult.

And you had to hold the puzzle so that both rods slid to the end of their tunnels and they weren't crossing

And I called the dog Sandy. And Father bought him a collar and a lead and I was allowed to take him for

According to Pythagoras's theorem, if the sum of the squares of the two shorter sides equals the square of

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon — Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime

FAQs

What is the main plot of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time?

The novel follows Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy with autism, who discovers his neighbor's dog, Wellington, dead. He decides to investigate the dog's murder, which leads him to uncover deeper family secrets, particularly about his mother. Throughout his journey, Christopher navigates his fears and challenges in a world that often confuses him, ultimately leading to a confrontation with his father regarding the truth about his mother.

Who are the key characters in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time?

The main character is Christopher Boone, a mathematically gifted boy with autism. Other key characters include his father, Ed Boone, who struggles to care for him after his mother's departure; his mother, who is revealed to be alive despite Christopher's belief that she died; and Mrs. Shears, the neighbor whose dog was killed. Siobhan, Christopher's teacher, plays a significant role in supporting him throughout the story.

How does Christopher describe his relationship with dogs?

Christopher expresses a strong affinity for dogs, stating that they have four moods: happy, sad, cross, and concentrating. He appreciates their honesty and loyalty, noting that dogs cannot lie because they cannot talk. This perspective reflects Christopher's straightforward understanding of emotions and relationships, contrasting with his struggles to interpret human interactions.

What is the significance of prime numbers in the novel?

Christopher uses prime numbers to organize his thoughts and structure his narrative. He chooses to number his chapters with prime numbers as a reflection of his love for mathematics and his desire for order in his life. This choice also symbolizes his unique way of viewing the world, where patterns and logic provide comfort amidst the chaos of human emotions.

What does Christopher discover about his mother during his investigation?

During his investigation into Wellington's death, Christopher uncovers letters from his mother, revealing that she is alive and living in London. This discovery shatters his previous belief that she had died from a heart attack. The letters provide insight into her life after leaving Christopher and his father, highlighting the complexities of familial relationships and the impact of secrets.

What role does Siobhan play in Christopher's life?

Siobhan is Christopher's teacher and a crucial support figure in his life. She helps him navigate social situations and understand emotions, providing guidance throughout his investigation. Siobhan encourages Christopher to express himself through writing, which leads him to document his experiences in the novel. Her influence is significant in helping him articulate his thoughts and feelings.

How does the novel address the theme of truth and lies?

The theme of truth and lies is central to the narrative, particularly in Christopher's relationship with his father. Christopher learns that his father lied about his mother's death, which leads to a profound sense of betrayal. The exploration of honesty is further emphasized through Christopher's commitment to always telling the truth, contrasting with the complexities of adult relationships and the consequences of deception.