Finding out what happened to the dog, the details of the curious incident, is really not the point of this novel even if it starts out seeming that the mystery of who killed the dog is the main point of Christopher's story.
While the word autism is never used, it is pretty clear that Christopher has an ASD (autism spectrum disorder). Mark Haddon captures the tone, speech pattern, thought processes, and distinctive behaviors of an ASD teen so perfectly it was almost painful to read. By that I mean, as the mom of a child with an ASD I could relate to what I was reading and it made my heart hurt for Christopher and his parents.
It isn't easy parenting a child who can't tolerate your touch, can't verbalize love, and all of the other practical issues that come with them. Christopher won't eat certain color foods, can't have foods touch, has colors that he hates, can't stand being touched, and has a hard time with strangers and new people. But Christopher is also very smart and wants to sit his A level math exam.
When he lost his mother he and his father were managing pretty well on their own. That is until Christopher finds a neighbor's dog dead from an attack with a garden fork. Christopher is determined to be a detective and solve the crime. What he ends up solving is a mystery he didn't know existed and it changes his entire life.
The pain of not being able to hold your child when they are sad, sick or in pain is heartbreaking. Trying to parent a child under the best of circumstances isn't easy but when you have a child with autism it becomes infinitely harder, the more sever the symptoms the harder it becomes to parent. Haddon not only captures Christopher perfectly, he captures his parents perfectly as well even as he presents them from Christopher's point of view.
(Finished June 5, 2015)
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