The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

 In English this year, we have been reading the book 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' by Mark Haddon. Last week we finished the book.

What were your thoughts after reading the ending? What do you think will happen to Christopher?

At the end of the book, Christopher talks about his plans, some of which include taking further A level maths next year, and something about a physics test the following year, so that is what I believe he will do, especially since he made it clear at several points across the book that he likes to stick to a timetable/schedule and how he hates things being taken out of his plan. That's why I think he will stick to his plans and study hard for them (and I'm sure he'll excel at both the exams).

What was your favourite funny moment from the novel?

My favourite scene from the book was when Christopher packs everything just as he's about to go out. All the things that he wanted to bring (such as the special food his dad kept in a box) were well-thought-out, and this scene of his packing everything set the next part of the book up like a dangerous adventure he may never return from. I especially find him bringing Toby (a rat) in his pocket quite bizarre. I can barely keep my own cat in my arms for more than 10 seconds, so the idea of bringing a rat on a train across the country in your pocket was bound to be an interesting one.

Look at the following statement and decide whether you agree or disagree with it. Explain your answer.

The novel is funny because we are laughing at Christopher.

I disagree because I don't think I really laughed at Christopher. This book was a journey of Christopher not only trying to solve who killed Wellington, but also travelling on his own to find his mother, so it seems like it's written to be taken seriously rather than for comedic purposes. 

Did you find the novel sad?

There were lots of unfortunate challenges thrown at Chrisotpher in the book, but he found a way to overcome each of them as well. I think the situation both his parents were in at the end of the book was a little bit sad (while Christopher got everything back together at the end so he had a happy ending). Although his dad killed the dog, he had looked after Christopher for so many years and was patient enough to put up with him every day. That's why I found it sad how Christopher instantly tried to run away from his dad as soon as he found out that he killed Wellington, especially since his dad was trying so hard to get Christopher back. As for his mother, Mr Shears left her as soon as she chose to be with her son. It was a bit unfair for Christopher's mother to be abandoned by Mr Shears just like that because she wanted to help her own son.

What do you think Mark Haddon is saying about why there are so many different reactions to the book? What was your response to the book?

The readers reading his book all have different experiences in life, which is why some may find in sad since they are able to relate to the book in a way, or some may find it interesting or even funny as they read Christopher's reaction to each situation (especially since Christopher's way of thing may be very different to their own). I found the book interesting because it was from someone else's perspective with different thoughts and reactions than my own. There were scenes that stood out to me since the thought process was unique in my opinion (in particular, the one where Christopher stood on a train track for the sake of his rat while any other person would've valued their own life over a rat's).

In what ways do you think the book appeals to teenagers? 

In this book, Christopher is 15, so he is a teenager. He attends school like other teenagers and has interests in similar things such as watching TV or playing video games. It covers topics that other teenagers face such as living only with one parent. It views life and various challenges from a teenager's perspective (even if Christopher's way of thinking may be different to others) which is why teenagers might enjoy reading this book.

In what ways do you think the book appeals to adults?

This book highlights what it is like to have an autistic child. For example, a lot of patience is needed, which is presumably why Christopher's mother left in the first place. There are a lot of things to need to pay attention to with them (like how Christopher wouldn't eat if his food were touching or how he avoided certain colours). This perspective is what may appeal to adults since it talks about how life is viewed from an autistic child's point of view and the way he interacts with other adults such as his parents or neighbours.

Some people have said that the book is not very suitable for teenagers because it contains a lot of swearing and because it deals with depressing subject matter. Do you agree? Why?

I disagree because teenagers are exposed to these things on a daily basis. Particularly at school and perhaps at home, teenagers will hear a lot of swearing going on around them. Age doesn't protect you from being exposed to depressing or unsettling things in life, which is why it's not a problem that this book covers depressing subject matter even though teenagers may be reading it.

Why do you think Mark Haddon chose to write this novel from a first-person point of view?

Christopher is autistic and the way he thinks and acts is different to most people. For example, Christopher strongly believes that seeing a certain number of particular coloured cars in a row determines how his day will go. Most people will not give seeing multiple cars of the same colour in a row a second thought. Or how Christopher likes to do puzzles in his head to calm himself down (even for hours at a time). A first-person point of view allows the readers to understand Christopher's way of thinking in each situation instead of imagining what we ourselves would do. 

How has he tried to overcome some of the possible disadvantages?

A disadvantage of writing in first-person is that the readers only get to really know one person (the narrator) very well instead of all the other characters in the book that they interact with. Haddon included letters from Christopher's mother to help show someone else's point of view or flashbacks/memories to further understand a character other than Christopher.