3.55 out of 4 stars.
A must read for anyone who knows anyone autistic or would like to know more about the disorder.
Christopher John Francis Boone is 15 years old and was on one of his late night walks to get some peace and quiet. He walks past his neighbor, Mrs. Shears’, home and sees that her black poodle has been murdered. Christopher is very upset and sets out on a mission to find out who has done this terrible crime by investigating the townspeople.
I do not want to reveal who has committed the terrible act but it leaves Christopher traumatized.
He feels he can trust no one and sets out to London to try and live with his mother.
Some other things to know about Christopher besides his crime knowledge is that he hates the colors yellow and brown, food touching one another on his plate, noise, people touching him, and strangers. He has a long list of likes though, he enjoys math, his rat toby, his teacher Siobhan, and the color red.
I personally have not had the pleasure of getting to know anyone with autism but I fell in love with Christopher and his brilliance. He is able to remember things from years ago and his main concerns are whether or not people are trustworthy and can take care of him. Seems like he has the important things figured out.
Although he has trouble with social interactions he is able to become brave enough to take a train by himself to London. This is pretty incredible if one has ever rode “the tube” and knows how overbearingly crowded it can become.
The story opens with a sad undertone of a dog being murdered by Haddon is able to turn an incident like that and make Christopher shine. Quite a feat. The book also gives insight into his parents’ trials and tribulations with having an autistic son. It was lovely to see how love really can conquer even the most emotional events.
It is a fast, witty, and uplifting read for anyone but definitely would be a must for someone that would like to know autism from the insider perspective.
Here is a picture of Sadie trying to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington the dog. She is not quite on the trail yet but she is getting there.
