It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs. Shears' house. Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it was running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they are chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead. There was a garden fork sticking out of the dog.
When the record player was invented, many felt that their major purpose would be educational. Perhaps, this thought was influenced by Alexander Graham Bell, who was experimenting with ways to help the deaf when he invented the telephone. At any rate, the audio book (book on tape, though I reckon books on compact disc and MP3 will be popular soon enough) is a useful development, allowing books to be enjoyed in various ways. And, not only the blind, but those driving, jogging, resting, and the so on.
I myself enjoy listening to something educational or whatever, allowing me to rest my eyes, and consume information at the same time. For instance, on Fridays, Your Call has an interesting end of the week news summary moderated by Laura Flanders.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is fictional, but educational too, though this is obviously not really necessary to enjoy reading and listening to audio. The audio tape version (five tapes, unabridged) was narrated by Jeff Woodman, who did a good job, including the various voices found in the story. It regards fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone's decision to write a book as part of a school project, a book discussing his attempt to find out who killed a neighbor's dog. It is notable that more mysteries aren't about death of animals, since deep down, this often causes us to be more emotional (even in fiction) than the death of certain people.
Mystery novels often are as much about the detective than the mystery, and this is the case here as well. [The author notes (see author link above) that the plot came first in his mind, but the reader probably will be more affected by the character.] the Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome, which is condition similar to autism, and can be said to involve being totally literal and logical. He does not really have perspective, cannot understand slang, and has such a grasp for detail that it sometimes overwhelms him. Christopher is quite intelligent, if not socially, and can handle himself if allowed to follow an ordered existence.
OTOH, he doesn't like to be touched, and new people scare him (he also doesn't like to be looked at while being talked to). Also, somewhat ironically given his usual annoyance at symbolic things, Christopher associates certain colors with bad things, so he hated things that are brown and yellow. Also, if a certain pattern of red cars pass by, he thinks it will be a good day. It also might be added that Christopher would benefit from an ongoing class entitled "mores of modern day British society," since it might help him a lot in dealing with his fellow citizens. American readers also will be happy that he too dislikes France.
So, he has something that many might call autism (but less extreme), and the two conditions are interconnected. The author is not a specialist, but those familiar with the disease (if that's a good word -- a NYT article recently spoke of some who feel that it is wrong to think of it that way, since it is but a different sort of way of looking at the world, and individuals can still go about with the lives fairly normally in many respects) say he (through Christopher as first person narrator) does a good job allowing us to view how such an individual views the world.
I do not have firsthand knowledge of Asperger's Syndrome, but agree that the novel does a good job allowing us a special perspective of everyday events. Though he himself surely did not intend it, Christopher provides a humorous and touching narrative as well as an at times exciting one.
My problem with the book was deals with the story arc itself, and for those who might read/listen, I do not want to say too much about it. Suffice to say that I think the story went a way that was not really true to the character, or quite believable given his nature, though it does end on a better note. On the whole, however, it was quite good. And, I'd recommend it, however one might want to consume it.