 | Category: | Books | | Genre: | Literature & Fiction | | Author: | Mark Haddon |
This book was written in the first person narrative of Christopher John Francis Boone, a very intelligent and yet autistic 15-year old boy. He is a mathematical savant, has a photographic memory and knows all the countries in the world including their capitals and all prime numbers up to 7,057; however, Christopher does not understand human emotions, gestures, and relationships.
What I like most about this novel is that, Haddon narrated the story with wit, warmth and humor, thus made me see Christopher's difficulties and the chaos of autism.
The story started when Christopher found the pet poodle of his neighbor, who's living across their house, stabbed with a garden fork dead. He decided to solve the mystery of the dog's death including it's murderer and wrote a book about it. Christopher investigated the crime on his own, despite his father's vehement disapproval, and in the process, uncovered many secrets which involved his family.
Christopher, despite his autism, showed bravery and maturity as he tried to solve his own problem. Christopher despised the colors yellow and brown but was able to conquer his loathness with them when he travelled alone.
Although I'm not a Math savant and there's a few math problems in the book which I skipped through, I did not miss any important storyline. This short book is filled with both humor and pain and its impact will last much longer. Highly recommended for a general readership. 
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