English Report

Title: The Curious Event of The Dog in The Night Time

Author: Mark Haddon

Genre: Murder Mystery Novel

Date Completed: 5th May 2013

The Curious Event of The Dog in The Night Time is a novel about a boy named Christopher Boone who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome. When he finds his neighbour Mrs. Shears dog, Wellington, stabbed to death with a garden fork Christopher becomes a suspect. I think that this was a very unfair way to suspect Christopher. He thought he was helping by making a scene of Wellington’s death. Little did he realise that Mrs. Shears would think he was the one that killed the dog. His farther Ed Boone has told him to stay out of other peoples business but, despite this, Christopher takes on the role of detective. He tries to find out who killed Mrs. Shears dog.
Christopher also writes a book about his detective work with the help of his mentor from school, Siobhan. When Christopher’s dad Ed finds out about his book he gets upset and throws it out. Christopher attempts to find his book. When he discovers it in his father's bedroom, he also finds letters that seem to be from his mother. With his father unaware, he reads several of the letters. When he was younger he was told that his mother died from a heart attack. These letters were dated after her death. After reading a few of the letters Christopher realises his mother isn't dead but is living in London with Mr. Shears. She had run away with him two years ago, unable to care for Christopher any longer. When Christopher’s dad got home from work he asked him about the letters and his father admitted to lying about his mother dying.
He also admits to killing Wellington in anger after a fight with Mrs. Shears about Christopher’s mum and Mr. Shears running away to London together. I think that Ed killing Wellington was a very unfair call to make. I think this because he took out his anger on a dog that had done nothing wrong.
Christopher decides to travel to London by himself to find his mother. Christopher’s arrival at his mother’s house causes friction between her and Mr. Shears and they drift apart. She decides to move back to their hometown. Unable to forgive his father, Christopher moves in with his mother. I this this was the right decision to make because Christopher felt like he could no longer trust his father. I think that as well as his ‘disability’ Christopher wouldn’t be able to cope with living with someone he can’t trust.

Christopher Boone is a 15-year-old boy that suffers from Aspergers Syndrome. When he was younger he was told that his mum had died from a heart attack. Christopher knows a great deal about math’s and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown. At first I wondered why he was so ‘picky’ as I wasn’t quite sure what Aspergers was. It wasn’t until later on in the book that I realised him liking something’s and absolutely hating others is all part of his ‘disability’. He has never gone further than the end of his road by himself. Christopher hates being touched. This shows when he hit a police officer on the night of Wellington’s murder when he gestured him away from the dog’s dead body. Because of Christopher’s Aspergers he takes everything literally.

‘People say that you always have to tell the truth. But they do not mean this because you are not allowed to tell old people that they are old and you are not allowed to tell people if they smell funny or if a grown-up has made a fart. And you are not allowed to say “I don’t like you” unless that person has been horrible to you.’
‘People say that you always have to tell the truth. But they do not mean this because you are not allowed to tell old people that they are old and you are not allowed to tell people if they smell funny or if a grown-up has made a fart. And you are not allowed to say “I don’t like you” unless that person has been horrible to you.’

The Curious Event of