"the curious incident of the dog in the night-time"

by Mark Haddon, 2002, 220p, rating=3.5

"Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine, order and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then, at fifteen, Christopher’s carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing.

Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, we are drawn into the workings of Christopher’s mind." (book's synopsis)

Intertwined with Christopher's quest to figure out who murdered Wellington, we discover a  fascinating glimpse of what might be going through a mind of someone with autism.  Through Christopher's eyes we come to realize how narrow minded mainstream view of the world can get.  It was abundantly made clear that math is useful in daily life... so pay attention in your math classes!!  Really fun math facts and an eye opener for science.  Moreover, we get a glimpse of the frustrations that caregivers of autistic individuals might experience.  Plus, the storyline was interesting too.  However, I found the end a bit tedious ... I was math-ed out by then.

The author as a young man worked with autistic individuals so I assume the character make-up of Christopher here has been taken from his experience with such individuals.  Hence, Christopher's character was believable and you were right there with him pulling for his success.  Love that aspect of a book.