1: The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nightime: Mark Haddon: ISBN 0099450259

[lnr]

I joined a book club, and accidentally ended up with two copies of this through inattention. They've been sitting on my shelves for several months now, and I thought I'd finally give it a read, and blazed through the whole book in the space of 2.5 hours in the bath this afternoon. I don't know what to say about it really: I enjoyed it. A fairly interesting little tale, but the point of view of the narrator makes the telling more interesting. I can see why not everyone would get on with it though.

Minor resolution for this year: try to make sure I read more new books than re-reading old ones, and more "real" books than trash. Will see how it goes. Wonder what to read next?

Comments

[ms-saffie.livejournal.com]

My tutor's husband wrote that! All very exciting :)

[mhk.livejournal.com]

I found it a very moving story, partly because I know a couple of people with Aspergers. But one thing bugged me: the fact that the boy's actual condition, Aspergers, was only mentioned in the blurb on the cover. I don't understand why this would be: if the author didn't mention it in the text were you intended to guess it? Or did the publisher decide for himself what was wrong with the boy? If you know the author, perhaps you might be able to supply some insight into this.

[ms-saffie.livejournal.com]

I don't know personally, but I'll email my tutor and ask her.

[ms-saffie.livejournal.com]

My tutor got back to me and said Mark Haddon avoided using term aspergers anywhere in text, and it was only publisher's decision to put Sachs quote on cover. Hope that helps :)

[rmc28]

I liked it but it's too upsetting and close to home for me to read again in a long time. I mean, on the one hand I'm thankful that my brother doesn't have Asperger's that badly, and that my parents coped much better than the kid's (Christopher?), but on the other my brother is probably in the minority of children with Asperger's, and I have too much sympathy for all the families struggling along, and all the situations Christopher goes through without support when he should have had someone teaching him first.

However, if it does nothing but make people think twice when they deal with someone a bit weird, it's made the world a better place. I just personally cope badly with it.