Mark Haddon
2003
Around 275 pages
The stage adaptation of this novel was just hitting it big in London when I lived there, and I remember the advertisements plastered all over the Underground. Damn, I miss that city. I'm obviously very suggestible, so I was inspired by to read it based on the posters, although I never did get around to seeing the play.
15-year-old Christopher Boone lives in England with his widowed father Ed. One day, he discovers that his neighbor's dog was killed with a garden fork. He decides to solve the mystery and chronicle the investigation in a book. Christopher is never given a diagnosis in the novel, and Haddon wrote that the book is not about any specific disorder. Which is a good disclaimer to give, because no matter how you portray a certain disorder, people are going to be mad about the depiction.
Christopher obviously offers a unique perspective, but outside of that, this is also just a fun mystery and coming of age story. I can see why some people might think the ending is a little too neat, but it worked for the tone of the story, and didn't feel out of place.
Christopher isn't treated as an object of pity and isn't forced into the role of inspirational icon. He just thinks differently about the world and has to learn how to communicate and navigate relationships, which is relatable whether you are neuro-typical or neuro-divergent.
A really uplifting story, and we get so few of those in these parts, so we should cherish them.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Mickey Rowe was the first openly autistic actor to play Christopher in the play. He documented this experience in the book Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor's Journey to Broadway's Biggest Stage.
UP NEXT: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
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