The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon

A few years ago, my folks and I were all in New York City at the same time. They wanted to see a play I'd heard a bit about with the unwieldy title, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time." We were astonished. It might well be the best bit of theater I've seen. Certainly up there. It took me a while to get around to reading the novel on which it is based. I should say, the wonderful novel on which it is based.

In this book, Mark Haddon makes a sincere and sustained attempt to convey the world from the perspective of an autistic fifteen year old boy named Christopher. He is in a school for special -- that is, cognitively impaired -- students, though his academic skills are well above average. He can solve complex math problems, but needs a set of flashcards with emojis on them so that he will know how to interpret facial expressions. He seems, in a way, to be a highly caring person, though without an understanding of the common cues most people use to navigate interpersonal relationships.

Christopher finds his neighbor's dog murdered, and engages in some amateur sleuthing, uncovering family secrets, betrayals, an untapped reserves of strength and courage.