Curious Incident Post Reading *Spoiler alert*

 Curious Incident Book: 

The Ending: 

At the end of the novel, Christopher says:

“And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.”

What were your thoughts after reading the ending? What do you think will happen to Christopher?

I personally felt the ending was great as a reader and felt that it was very intriguing and allowed a sense of hope that there was more. We were definitely left on a cliffhanger as I would personally love to see how more of his life goes and see if the Mum and Dad can fix the issues they had so they can be one happy family again.

I think Christopher after handling such a huge situation in his life will become more confident and able to express him self in better ways instead of violence. I also feel like he will feel as if he is invincible after solving his own mystery and with that invincibility enable himself to have social experiences. I also think Christopher will want to pursue a career as a detective after his thrill of solving his own mystery.

Is it a funny book? 

Right at the beginning of the novel Christopher tells the reader ‘This will not be a funny book’ and yet there were probably lots of places that made you laugh. 

• What was your favourite funny moment from the novel? 

• Look at the following statement and decide whether you agree or disagree with it. Explain your answer.

Is it a sad book? 

• Did you find the novel sad? 

In an interview Mark Haddon said: “People have said to me that it’s a desperately sad book and they wept most of the way through it. Other people say it’s charming and they kept laughing all the time. People say it has a sad ending; people say it has a happy ending. Because Christopher doesn’t force the reader to think one thing or another, I get many different reactions.”

• What do you think Mark Haddon is saying about why there are so many different reactions to the book? What was your response to the book?

Mark Haddon is basically saying there isn't a forcefully sad ending or a forcefully happy ending they made an ending in which can be perceived any way the reader likes. There isn't a right or wrong way to feel about the book overall.

In my opinion there are many happy and sad times throughout the book. One of the sadder times that made me a little dishearten was when Christopher finds out his mum isn't actually dead and his father has been keeping the letters from him. Another one that happens around the same time is here Christopher finds out his father also killed the dog. Both times were sad due to how cruel it was and how Christopher himself reacted to such things too.

A book for adults, children or both? 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is what is known in the publishing industry as a ‘crossover book’. This means that the publishers decided it would appeal to both children and adults – in this case to teenagers and adults. The book was produced in two different editions, with different covers, one of which was marketed for teenagers and one for adults. (The Harry Potter books were also marketed in this way, as was Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights trilogy.)

• In what ways do you think the book appeals to teenagers? 

• In what ways do you think the book appeals to adults?

• Some people have said that the book is not very suitable for teenagers because it contains a lot of swearing and because it deals with depressing subject matter. Do you agree? Why?

I personally think this appeals to teenagers as Christopher is a teen himself and many readers that a teens can relate to him in a way as he is around the same age.

This appeals to adults as it is a very mature book and isn't for the light hearten it can also relate to adults to as some may be going through an issue similar to the father and mother within this book.

I personally feel this is suitable for teenagers. Just because there are some swear words doesn't mean it's not suitable. Many TV shows, movies etc contain bad words its surrounded by us everyday this doesn't mean it should be used at all but its not going to be any harm when in this book plus you do not need to read them you can skip the bad words and still understand whats going on.

The depressing subject matter is also suitable for teenagers I feel as well as mental health or issues throughout this book as sadly this happens in many teenagers life. It's not good at all that kids should go through some of the stuff they do but it's reality, it happens things happen. It's good to spread awareness in a way to help others go through the same thing or a similar thing that it's ok and they're not alone.

A first person narrator – advantages and disadvantages 

Some of the advantages of writing from the first person point of view are: the reader feels more sympathy with the character who is telling the story, and a first person narrator can make the story seem more realistic. 

The main disadvantages of writing in the first person are: the narrator can only tell the reader about what he or she is aware of or has experienced, and the reader really only gets to know the narrator.

• Why do you think Mark Haddon chose to write this novel from a first person point of view? 

• How has he tried to overcome some of the possible disadvantages?

I think Mark Haddon had chosen to write in first person as it allows the reader to feel more connected to the character and how he feels. I think he has tried to overcome the disadvantages by making the other characters feels and emotions more noticeable and allow the reader to also know how they feel. I also feel he has tried to make all the situations with Christopher being there so the reader gets an understanding on how and why the other characters are feeling the way they are. Personally I feel the writer has wrote this book really well and had taken deep thought into things to make the book great.