Mark Haddon's portrayal of a psychologically dissociated mind is intriguingly, very accurate indeed.
It's about a boy named Christopher, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, and unhealthy obsession with numbers, figures, and dangerously, truth, and has never ventured farther that the end of his street. One morning he finds his neighbour's dog "murdered", with a pitchfork sticking out of its gut (as the cover suggests). Given his love for animals, specifically Wellington, the dead dog which kicks off the story, he pulls the pitchfork out, and cradles it, only to be framed for the killing.
Thus, he sets out on a mission to find the real killer, against the wishes of his father, who warns him to "mind his own business".
The book progresses at a very slow pace, punctuated by the strangeness of having figures and facts mentioned in the course of events mapped out PRECISELY. And by precisely, I mean
PRECISELY, to the extent of having diagrams illustrate ideas, and having the number of tiles in a house floor mentioned. Yet it retains enough of the elements of humour, wit, experiences which anyone can relate to, to sustain reader interest, and keep you turning those pages.
An interesting read.
p.s. Parents, there is no shortage of coarse language woven into the story. Be warned.
Not as engaging as Da Vinci Code but interesting nonetheless
