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Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime

Ashlea

Ashlea

New Member
Have not yet read this book, I hear good things and will snap it up when I get the chance.

At any rate, am reading Sherlock Holmes again (forgot how much of it there is, or probably wouldn't have had another go quite yet, when I have so many new ones to read), and I came across this exchange in one of the short stories:

"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
"To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time."
"The dog did nothing in the night-time."
"That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes.

Anyway, didn't realize there was a connection, but perked up when I found it.
 
if i remember correctly that extract came from a short story titled "Silver Blaize" or something like that *scratches his head*
that was one of Sherlock's better short stories , the ending being very unexpected
 
I've got this book (the Curious Incident ... book, not the Sherlock Holmes ... book) on my shelf, waiting to be read. So, like you, Ashlea, I will be reading this, too, quite soon. Looking forward to it.

Cheers, Martin :D
 
I have read this book which are really enjoyable. It's easy to read quickly. You may like it. :)
 
Originally posted by piedro
if i remember correctly that extract came from a short story titled "Silver Blaize" or something like that *scratches his head*
that was one of Sherlock's better short stories , the ending being very unexpected
Click to expand...

You're right!

I've always enjoyed the short stories more than the novels. Sherlock is sometimes annoying to spend 100+ pages with, but he's fascinating for 5.
 
anybody read Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason and the case of the Howling dog ?

it is a bit similiar in the sense that he solves the mystery with the clue being , 'the dog was howling in the night'!!
 
Piedro,
Oddly enough, I did just read that Gardner book not too long ago. It did have something to do with a dog either barking or not barking. But, I was kind of underwhelmed. I knew the TV version of Perry Mason first, and was disappointed that Gardner's creation didn't have more in common with Raymond Burr.
 
Perry Mason books arent books for a critic. there are many flaws in it. you just read those books if you arent in a mood to go deep into literature. they are a good read if you are bored and have nothing to do but thats about it
 
Read this book in about one sitting, it really was a very enjoyable book, the way he captured the narrative from the view of an autistic child was fascinating! :)

Highly Recommended

Phil
 
This is probably the best book I've read this year. And a friend whose son also suffers from Asperger's syndrome said that Haddon gives an amazingly accurate depiction of how such a child sees and tries to function within the world.
Two bits really caught my eye.
"I do not tell lies. Mother used to say that this was because I was a good person. But it is not because I am a good person. It is because I can't tell lies" (19). Lies, for these people, confuse an already confusing world. It requires keeping reality in a separate compartment while insisting on something untrue. And, what is more, the world likes to bestow qualities (particularly moral ones) on all actions. His goodness has nothing to do with his inability to lie.

The other is related. While similes take work but make sense to him, he can't handle metaphors; they are just lies: "And when I try and make a picture of the phrase in my head it just confuses me because imagining an apple in someone's eye ['he was the apple of her eye'] doesn't have anything to do with liking someone a lot and it makes you forget what the person was talking about" (15).
 
The Curious Incident... is really good. It's not the sort of thing I'd usually read, but I really enjoyed it; it was a real page-turner. I agree with what others have said, the writing style (the POV of a 15 year old boy with Aspergers) is compelling, it really gives an insight into what living with this condition must be like, without being at all patronising or attempting to be "worthy". At times sad, at other times laugh-out-loud funny, this is a recommended book. :)
 
I'm reading it just now. The narrative annoys me (although I can understand why it's the way it is) but it's fun. Should pass a few train journeys. :)
 
I knew I should have bought it months ago. :(

Hasn't it won a few prestigious awards lately?


RaVeN
 
It really is an excellent book.Fresh and to the best of my knowledge,unique.

In regards to the sherlock holmes connection....in the book the young boy is unable to appreciate any works of fiction...except Sherlock holmes beacuse of that detectives logical thinking.
 
You've read a lot of books about 15-year-old boys with Autism trying to work out who killed their neighbour's dog, have you?? :D

Phil
 
Who hasn't?

Cheers, Martin
Grin.gif
 
phil_t said:
You've read a lot of books about 15-year-old boys with Autism trying to work out who killed their neighbour's dog, have you?
Click to expand...

No, just one. The narrative, to me, was reminiscent of Benjy's section in Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury (sample)
 
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