Imagine being an autistic child lost in the big city of London, with no one to help you out. This is one of the more compelling moments in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, written by Mark Haddon. 

  Haddon is from England, which makes it no surprise that the novel is based out of Swindon. He describes himself as an atheist, which explains the main character’s negative views towards the existence of a God. The 2003 mystery novel details the daily struggles of a fifteen year old autistic teen, Christopher Boone. 

  This novel is relevant for anyone from the ages of high schoolers to elders, as it helps spread awareness about autism and gives the reader a better idea of how children on the autistic spectrum function and what their families deal with on a daily basis.

  A popular book of choice for Eastern students at the English 4 Accelerated level, the novel begins with Christopher finding a dead dog, Wellington, on his neighbor’s lawn. He begins a thorough investigation into the death of Wellington, much to his father’s dismay. Christopher’s father has an extremely hard time supporting his son by himself, as Christopher’s mother allegedly died years earlier from a “sudden heart problem.”

  While investigating into Wellington’s murder, Christopher uncovers information about his family that Father had been keeping from him for years. He finds out his Mother is still alive, living hours away in London. Father finds a book that Siobhan, one of the teachers at his special needs school, instructed Christopher to write. Siobhan is the only one who truly can speak Christopher’s language and encourages him to write his feelings down in that book. 

  Father reads into Christopher’s book and finds out the family secrets Christopher has discovered. Father loses his temper with Christopher when he angrily confronts him about the shocking information Christopher now knows. It is at this time when we find out who really killed Wellington, and Christopher’s investigation comes to an abrupt conclusion. After Father’s violent rage towards Christopher, he does not feel safe around his father and decides to make a daring adventure across England. He decides to make the courageous choice of traveling alone to London, which is where his mother lives with her new boyfriend.  

  Christopher is an extremely gifted math student and plans to take his A-level math exams at his school that same week he plans to run away to live with Mother. This special characteristic of Christopher allows Haddon to exemplify the unique qualities that autistic children have. When Haddon displays Christopher’s mathematical talents, it gives the reader the ability to look into the life of an individual with autism.

  Christopher’s journey to his mother’s apartment is a long and harrowing experience. His precise attention to detail allows him to memorize his surroundings in order to get onto the correct subway. A near death experience and two subway rides later, Christopher finds himself walking the streets of London and is able to locate his mother’s apartment. 

  Mother decides to leave her boyfriend and move back to Swindon with Christopher, allowing him to take his A-level math exams, which he scores excellently on. Mother and Father make amends for their past mistakes that broke their relationship but do not get back together. In the end, Christopher explains how his daring solo experience to London, his ability to write his own book, and his successful investigation into Wellington’s death allows him to gain self-confidence. These experiences exhibit his potential to be independent, and how he uses his autism as motivation, instead of letting it slow him down.

  For people who are interested in learning more about autism and have always wondered how their brains operate, this is definitely a book for you. I enjoy learning how different peoples’ minds work, so I was pleased with this book, since it delved into the mind of an autistic teen