The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, is a funny, touching, and thoroughly enjoyable novel. The book combines a simple mystery with a coming-of-age story, all told from the unique perspective of a fifteen-year-old autistic teenager, Christopher. The story of Christopher’s search for the killer of his neighbor’s dog, his subsequent adventures, and his intense emotional discoveries paint a world filled with inexpressible emotion and intensity. The magic of the book is the author’s ability to depict this world using only the constrained dimensions of understanding that Christopher is able to achieve. Haddon manages to balance the tenderness, frustration, sadness, and humor with perfect skill.
—Kenny Breuer ’82 associate professor of engineering