The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Huddon offers us a view into a world we most likely, would otherwise not explore. Through the Adventures of Christopher John Francis Boone, we connect to him on more than one dimension. The story is told from the point of view of a boy who suffers from a disease that above all, leaves him isolated from his society and humanity in general. In some way this isolation leads him into a better understood relationship with animals. Although he can relate to animals, he can almost never comprehend human emotion, save those he has studied with note cards. Christopher suffers from autism; this disease, however, leaves him with a keen understanding of the logical world. His ability to count off prime numbers, and make maps in his mind are unlike the average child. He draws conclusions which govern his day and his reactions to certain circumstances by completely nonsensical variables. From example, he concludes what kind of day he will have by the color of the cars he sees on the way to school, and the degree of the day, by the number of those cars. He navigates through a labyrinth of bedlam and irrational people by relying on the sanctuary of order and predictability.
When something goes wrong for him, and he does not know how to deal with it, he multiplies square roots in his head until he is relaxed again. This is a cathartic experience for him because he finds reliance in concepts held constant.
The story takes off when Christopher's neighbor's dog is murdered and he is the suspect. He decides to become an investigator but the truths he finds are much bigger than anybody had anticipated. Through his quest to find the killer of the neighbor’s dog, Christopher comes to realise the lies that had been spoon fed to him throughout his life. He finds out that his mother is still living after years of being told that she suffered a fatal heart attack.
This leads him to believe that his father is not safe because he lied to him, and as it turns out is the murderer of the dog.
When Christopher runs away to live with his mother, we are truly taking into his mind and thought process. As the tension of the story progresses, his mental path or rational progress slows down. Less and less becomes solvable. And for Christopher, When something is not rational or governed by a constant natural law, it may as well not exist at all.
This story is so strong because it allows us to explore the mind of a boy that is somehow different from us, if not in every way. Although this does not allow us to connect to the character through characteristics which we hold constant in our personal lives, it allows us to both sympathise and admire the character for his presented circumstances and strong will. We are taken through a journey which would otherwise be unattainable. Truly Unique.