Genre: FictionYear Published: 2004
Pages: 226
Rating: 4
It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs. Shears house.
This book was a delight to read, featuring one of the most unique narrative voices I have ever read. The narrator, 15-year old Christopher Boone, thinks differently than most of us. Some might call him autistic. Some might call him a savant. Some other kids call him stupid but he knows this is not so, just as he knows all the prime numbers up to 7,057 and the Monty Hall Problem and why Occam's razor is true. When Christopher finds his neighbor's dog dead on her lawn, he is determined to find out who committed the crime, although he dislikes interacting with others. In deciphering this mystery, Christopher finds out far more than he expected about his own family life, with extreme results.
More than anything I am impressed with Haddon's ability to give a voice to a person like Christopher. His character is so real and so likeable that it helps further understanding towards those who may not relate to the world in the way most of us might expect. But aside from that, the story is captivating and suspenseful, touching and disturbing, and altogether human. I skimmed through all the higher math problems because they made my head hurt, but they were a nice touch as well, along with the diagrams and visual aids. Altogether a very good book.
Book a week #57
Date Read: 12/1/09
Challenge/s: What's in a Name
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