Kim
Rating:
Review
Kudos to Mr. Haddon. I thoroughly enjoyed this book for several reasons: 1) the narrator, Christopher Boone, is a teen-aged autistic boy who speaks, thinks and relates to people in a matter-of-fact way, making this book pleasantly refreshing to read after way too many adjective-laden books recently, 2) it is indeed, a "murder mystery novel", as stated in Chapter 7, 3) and speaking of chapters, they are cleverly numbered using only prime numbers since that's how Christopher operates, 4) Christopher solves not only the first mystery of who killed Wellington the poodle after midnight one night, but a few other posers as well, and 5) by the end of the book, I believed, along with Christopher, that he could do anything he set his mind to. I've recommended this book to several people, and all have enjoyed it.
Best Line:
"The policeman took hold of my arm and lifted me onto my feet. I didn't like him touching me like this. And this is when I hit him". That was the first time I smiled at what I was reading, and it was only Chapter 7 (or page 8).
Suzanne
Rating:
Review
This is a curious and well-written novel, but also sad, and a difficult read for me. Christopher Boone, an autistic teenager, tells the story of how he took it upon himself to investigate the brutal killing of his neighbor's dog, Wellington. He uncovers more than one whopper of a secret while playing detective in this murder mystery, and his perspective is original and sometimes refreshing. However, it was tough for me to read about someone who's unable to relate to human emotions, and about the effect that has on his family. The story highlights how very flawed we all are, especially with those we love the most, and I really felt bad for the people trying to help Christopher. I found many of his eccentricities downright irritating, which reveals that I would probably not do well interacting with an autistic person. Christopher likes to keep his mind occupied with mathematical puzzles, so if you're into these, this is a bonus.
Best Line:
"And this shows that sometimes people want to be stupid and they do not want to know the truth."
