In the text "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" the author Mark Haddon is able to gain our sympathy for and our understanding of Christopher because we learn to see things from his perspective. Discuss.

Christopher’s mother left. Although there is no doubt Christopher’s mother shows tenderness and devotion towards him, as is expressed in her desire to communicate with him though letters and her need to connect with him on a physical and an emotionally deeper level “Let me hold your hand” (p194) she still chose to leave Christopher.

Christopher’s mother chose to leave for several reasons, the most prominent of which was Christopher’s condition.

Christopher has not had a normal childhood and his parents have not had an average parenting experience. Though his 15 years of life Christopher has already face many challenges and situations that the vast majority of the population never will, he has had to deal with teasing “Special needs” (p56), incomprehension “white noise” (p8), and had to watch the adults around him behaving in an excessively emotional and almost childish way without being able to empathise. It would be impossible to base the needs of all families on their example, if there is one thing that “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time” teaches us it’s that everyone one is different, everyone is special and everyone has their own needs to be considered.

The substance of the text “The Curious Incident” is that while Christopher is obsessed with solving the mystery of the dog's death, he is oblivious to the disintegration of his family under his nose. And yet, his investigations lead him to the heart of the problem. It can sometimes be difficult for the reader to have a better grasp on what is happening then the narrator, yet, at the same time it give us a deeper knowledge of Christopher’s perception of the world. His literal, ploddingly logical and sometimes brilliantly poignant observations show us how absurd ordinary life can be without all the everyday assumptions we make, an example of which is when he speaks of his mother “Sometimes I look up into the sky and think that there are molecules of Mother up there, or in clouds over Africa or Antarctica, or coming down as rain in the rain forests in Brazil, or in snow somewhere." - p33

This world would be somewhat nicer if every child who lost a parent were able to mourn for them in such powerfully eloquent terms.

It is painful to see that Christopher’s difficult presence has caused his mother to run away and his father to lie about her absence. We see adults behaving in an excessively emotional and almost childish way, watched by a boy who can't empathise. As Christopher puts it, he has “behavioural problems.” He has a photographic memory and a genius for numbers and yet he doesn't know how to catch a train by himself. He cannot tell a lie. He recognizes jokes but doesn't find them funny. He doesn’t understand when his father talks about his relationship with Mrs. Shears or why Mr. Shears is an “evil man.” And he hates France.

“The Curious Incident” is a surprisingly effective journey through the world of a 15-year-old suffering from Asperser’s syndrome that has never gone further than his school on his own and for whom being able to go door-knocking is an amazing achievement. This novel gives the effect of being able to crawl around inside his mind and be able to really understand how it works. In his own roundabout way, Christopher solves both the murder and the family crisis. It's not a saccharine happy ending but it is a story of hope and achievement.

Although not always clear there are clues that Christopher is aware that he is not in control of his own life, this is a feeling that most teenagers have at some point, but for Christopher this is truer then most.  “I do not want my name to mean a story about being kind and helpful. I want my name to mean me.” P20

"The Curious Incident" is eloquent, poignant, darkly humorous, and unforgettable. I predict that this book will become a classic and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the intricate workings of the human mind and heart.