Who Killed Mrs. Shear's Dog?
Who Killed Mrs. Shear's Dog?
By Addie McClure
Recently I have been reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Seven minutes after midnight, the main character Christopher John Francis Boone finds his neighbor's dog dead in the backyard. Wellington, the dog, was killed by a garden fork. After a visit to the police station, he then decides to investigate what happened to the Welllington and who did it. Here are three things I have found interesting while reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
1. The book is written from the perspective of Christopher as though he is the one writing the book. Instead of each chapter being numbered like a normal novel, they are prime numbers. Christopher says "I have decided to give my chapters prime numbers 2,3,5,7,11,13 and so on because I like prime numbers" (Haddon 11). His chapters also include flashbacks and other thoughts which help to explain his character and the main story line. The flashbacks are interspersed in a way that really emphasizes the idea that the readers are in Christopher's mind.
2. Christopher struggles with socializing. Based of what I have read and some research, it is assumed that he is on the autism spectrum. As he investigates the death of Wellington he takes on a detective role. Since he is acting as a detective he has to interview people and interact with them. As a reader it is interesting to see him develop new social skills through his investigation. While I cannot speak for other readers, I have also found his character development interesting because he approaches social interactions a lot differently then I do.
3. Just like other good mystery novels, you also uncover a more intricate plot as you get farther into the reading. Though it starts as Christopher just trying to figure out who killed the dog, he soon finds out that his family has more secrets then he thought. Throughout the investigation, Christopher gets to know his community better and also begins to put together the answers to questions that were not even a part of the investigation in the first place. The plot gets more intriguing every chapter.
2. Christopher struggles with socializing. Based of what I have read and some research, it is assumed that he is on the autism spectrum. As he investigates the death of Wellington he takes on a detective role. Since he is acting as a detective he has to interview people and interact with them. As a reader it is interesting to see him develop new social skills through his investigation. While I cannot speak for other readers, I have also found his character development interesting because he approaches social interactions a lot differently then I do.
3. Just like other good mystery novels, you also uncover a more intricate plot as you get farther into the reading. Though it starts as Christopher just trying to figure out who killed the dog, he soon finds out that his family has more secrets then he thought. Throughout the investigation, Christopher gets to know his community better and also begins to put together the answers to questions that were not even a part of the investigation in the first place. The plot gets more intriguing every chapter.
I don't typically read mystery novels, but this book sounds quite interesting! It's interesting how the main character knows he is in a story, since he wrote it and imagined there would be readers. I liked how your pointed out Christoper's character development, and how he gains new social skills throughout the book. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy mystery novels because they have an element of surprise built in, whereas some books you can almost predict the plot. I really like the heartwarming aspect of Christopher, just seeing the character development that helps him overcome his social discomforts. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI actually saw the musical of this year and have been wanting to read the book! I enjoyed reading your review and i liked your analysis of his character and the structure of the book. I think it is particularly interesting the way he actually "writes the book" and that this is a part of the story as well
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