Summary of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time"

The neighbour's dog has been murdered. The 15-year-old Christopher takes on the case. He lives across the street alone with his father because his mother has died of cancer. Christopher is very good at math and memorizing things.

Christopher is autistic and he doesn't always understand what people mean and it is difficult to understand facial expressions. He doesn't like new places because there are too many new impressions, and he can't help but notice details that other people don't see. This is why he likes familiar places - like home and school - because then he doesn't have to memorize everything, only the smaller things that have changed. He also likes to plan ahead in the calendar so that he knows what is going to happen. He doesn't like surprises.

This makes solving a murder very difficult, because then he has to investigate and go to places and ask people questions. However, he overcomes his fears and starts the investigation. At the same time he documents the progress and writes a book about it. He writes down his thoughts about the case and about his life and why he reacts the way he does in different situations.

It is Christopher's voice that tells the story and he gives us an idea of what it is like to be autistic, and how difficult life can be in very simple situations. During his investigations he does not only come closer to solving the murder, but he also learns new things about his own family. This complicates everything but it also helps him solve the case.

Book Summaries

Fiction
Health
Psychology
Biography
Awards

Book Awards

Man Booker Prize
Nobel Prize
Pulitzer Prize