One of the best things about reading is the chance to see the world from another’s point of view. I can know what it is like to be an Ace Spy or a 12 year old boy or a hiker in the Grand Canyon. And I don’t even need to leave the couch!
Although each of the main characters in these books are unique, they tend to sound similar. Last week, however, I read a novel with a very different kind of protagonist. A 15 year old boy with ***Asperger’s Syndrome|http://users.wpi.edu/~trek/aspergers.html***. Christopher Boone has no problem with higher math, but has to work very hard to discern emotion in other’s facial expressions.
aaa|The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time|1400032717|aaa by Mark Hardon is, by the narrator’s defination, a murder mystery. At least that is how it starts out. In reality the mystery is just there to lead Christopher through a series of other life defining discoveries. He makes it through family crisis and standardized tests and deaths, and comes out scratched, but definately triumphant.
This books is an interesting look into the mind of an Asperger’s patient. It offers clear discriptions of how Christopher thinks and why he reacts the way he does to other people and situations. The book got mixed reviews on Amazon.com, but I would still recommend it to anyone. It was a quick read (Peter and I both finished it in a day and a half–total) and very enlightning.
Thank you to my Aunt Gabi for lending it to us and to her nephew Alex for recommending it and for bringing it across the pond from England!