92 pages 3 hours read

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2003

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Summary and Study Guide

Overview

Book Details

In the mystery novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher Boone, a brilliant teenage boy, sets out to solve the murder of his neighbor’s dog. While it is not explicitly stated in the novel, critics and professional medical reviewers generally agree that Christopher has autism. Written by Mark Haddon and published in 2003, the book won the Whitbread Book Award for best Novel and Book of the Year and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. It has been translated into three-dozen languages.

Major Themes

As Christopher solves the mystery, Boone explores themes of Coping Mechanisms and Safety in an Uncertain World, The Quest for Understanding Between Different Minds, and Accomplishing Goals and Overcoming Obstacles.

Adaptations

Playwright Simon Stephen adapted the novel into a stage play which premiered at the National Theatre in London in 2012, directed by Marianne Elliott. It transferred to the wedding in 2013 and has since been translated and toured internationally. The Bengali-English film Kia and Cosmos is based on the novel, though the animal in question is a cat, not a dog. Warner Brothers has optioned the film rights.

Content Warning

The source text and this study guide discuss ableism and domestic violence.

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