Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and theircapitals and every prime number up to 7057. He relates well to animals but hasno un... » 

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and theircapitals and every prime number up to 7057. He relates well to animals but hasno understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. Althoughgifted with a superbly logical brain Christopher is autistic. Everydayinteractions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine order andpredictability shelter him from the messy wider world. Then at fifteenChristophers carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds hisneighbors dog Wellington impaled on a garden fork and he is initiallyblamed for the killing.Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to hisfavorite fictional character the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes forinspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths andultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parentsmarriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his own family we aredrawn into the workings of Christophers mind.And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddons choice of narratorThe most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannotfathom emotion. The effect is dazzling making for a novel that is deeplyfunny poignant and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse andblessing is a mind that perceives the world literally.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime is one of the freshest debutsin years a comedy a heartbreaker a mystery story a novel of exceptionalliterary merit that is great fun to read. «