Here in Guyana, mental health issues and social disability are widely misunderstood and, unfortunately, still highly stigmatized. People who suffer from depression, behavourial issues, social anxiety and those who fall somewhere along the autism spectrum are all often, unfairly, regarded as difficult or strange individuals. Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a story about a fifteen-year old boy (who is never named) with a social disability that is suspected to stem from Asperger’s Syndrome or, rather, as the author says: “It’s not a novel about a boy who has Asperger’s Syndrome; it’s a novel about a young mathematician who has some strange behavioural problems.” Haddon’s presentation of Christopher, the novel’s protagonist, and his social awkwardness and difficulties help to create an understanding of the social disability from the perspective of the individual who suffers from it due to Haddon’s use of first person narration in the text. By writing from Christopher’s point of view, Haddon is able to let the reader see the world Christopher sees it, to comprehend things the way Christopher comprehends them and, in the end, to hopefully gain a better understanding of what it means to feel the way people with certain disorders feel on a daily basis.
The novel’s plot is part mystery, part road trip. It has to do with Christopher’s determination to uncover the murderer of his neighbour’s dog and then his subsequent attempt to travel to London and find his mother once the identity of the murderer is revealed. The plot, while driving the story along, is an interesting and a neatly presented plot, but the power of the novel relies solely on the creation of Christopher and his unique voice. His mechanisms for dealing with what we would consider normal greatly emphasize the difficulties people like Christopher have to face. The scene, for example, where he relates to the reader a memory in which his teacher has to draw different faces (a confused face, a surprised face, etc.) and tells Christopher to hold them up and match them to people when he doesn’t understand what they are saying so that he can read those people’s emotions is a subtle touch by Haddon that conveys so much information about Christopher’s inability to perceive the emotions of other people and, therefore, his inability to effectively communicate with those in his surroundings.
The novel’s use [Christopher’s use] of various numerical equations, metaphors and images in the book is another example of Haddon communicating to the reader in an unconventional, but highly intelligent way. These mirror the real life scenarios of people who experience the same difficulties as Christopher having to express themselves in unusual or unconventional ways. The methods of communication used in the book are representative of his astute, logical and clear thinking. If anything, it’s a reminder that although he might find it difficult to communicate “our way”, his own method of communication is no less complex or effective once one takes the time to properly understand it.
These and other important moments in the novel, such as the dizzying effect Christopher feels when he goes to the train station or when he is both unaware and aware of the effect of his presence on the people around him or the calm displays of his highly intelligent mind, are all used by Haddon to offer to the reader the opportunity of seeing and understanding the world in the way that people like Christopher do. The novel is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand someone with such a disorder.