I read numerous reviews raving about The Curious Incident About the Dog in the Night-Time. I bought the book, read it, and I can surmise it’s more than a little over-hyped.

The problem that I found with the book wasn’t the structure, but the prose itself; the very meat of the book. The story itself is actually a red herring, with the title being the catalyst for a discovery which doesn’t have much of an impact on the character as it does the reader. Having said that, it’s less an impact, and more of a cliched bee sting.

It is far too long winded, and is supposed to be written from the perspective of a child with Asperger’s Syndrome; a condition that exhibits autistic-like behaviour and an inability to fully socialise or communicate with others. The author, I am aware, is not autistic, so credit for him trying something different, even if it comes across as a touch clumsy.

I never felt I bonded with the child, nor the adult characters in the book. It didn’t make me laugh, nor did it entertain me, and I felt nothing for the condition of the child. It’s unconvincing, and I really found myself waiting for something interesting to happen; anything at all, some sort of incident, but it comes in trickles, and seems more a reflection of the mundane life we all live than escapism. In which, I could have just looked outside my window to find that in people.

The Curious has many tangents, most of these feel like fillers. A way to fill up the pages with extended explanations about things most of us probably already know, providing neither continuity or any connection other than it is the child’s interest to discuss certain topics. However, I felt there were far too many instances of this which broke the flow of the story, and at the same time, it serves as a disjointed method of making the reader understand the child better. It has no merit as far as I could see.

There are moments when the book does shine, when it does provide some degree of human character, and the reaction to the child, but these are a few and far between

I won’t say I hate the book. I finished it in order to make a fair opinion on how it affected me, and I’m more than fascinated by books that provide a different perspective on life, if they manage to pull it off. This is however, not that book. As already mentioned, for a better and more convincing example, read When I Was Five I Killed Myself.

So what did I like about the book? Well it had a nice cover I guess, and I like the numbering of the pages with prime numbers, as well as the math’s puzzles at the end of the book. There are moments when the book does shine, when it does provide some degree of human character, and the reaction to the child, but these are a few and far between, with the world being seen through the child’s eyes, but not actually being felt. I guess this adds to the condition that he suffers, but the reactions of the other characters to his behaviour seems so artificial, it detaches you from any world that the book sets out to create.

It didn’t make me laugh, nor did it entertain me, and I felt nothing for the condition of the child. It’s unconvincing

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is essentially a children’s book (I read the slightly more mature Adult version), rather than an adult book. Still, children’s books don’t have to be so dull, void of any story or any redeeming features. They don’t all have to be books about magic and fantasies, but I commend Haddon for trying something different, but it doesn’t work. At least for me.

When I finished reading it, I wanted the time I spent reading to be returned to me. I felt like throwing the book across the room. It was just so, average and disappointing, and left a really nasty taste in my mouth. Still it has won praise, and an award, so there must be something good about it, even if I can’t find it.

Verdict: Over rated, boring, rubbish. Highly praised, and yet highly disappointing.