the curious incident

[hatter]

of the dog in the night-time. Anyone read it? Just finished it and thought it was FAB. Cried at the end. Made me think a lot about being a parent. Made me feel that really, I've got it easy.

I have just started reading it and you are right it is FAB. I have taught a few chldren with aspergers and it brought back so many memories both happy and sad. On that note I am off to read more.

I loved it hatter; read it in one sitting. Does anyone know the background of the author? Either he had some close experience of aspergers, or had done very impressive research.

I want ds1 to read it when he's a bit older too.

Fantastic book, couldn't put it down!

Yes I loved it and dh has just finished it and loved it too. We were both wondering if the author had personal experience too! Very interesting book

enjoyed it but felt the beginning was much stronger than the end. also really felt for the mum, and that the ultimate betrayal had come from his father.

Brilliant, really enjoyed it!

I loved it, felt sorry for the father

why tinker? felt much more for the mother whose story was largely untold. i cannot imagine what would possess someone to want to tell their child that their mother was dead.

is she not really dead? On no much information, best get back to the book to find out.

oh no

should have put a >

SORRY

I can sort of understand the father's way of thinking. With ds1 (and dh) the world is very much black and white and based almost entirely on logic. It can be almost impossible to explain to ds1 why people do the things they do as he finds it almost impossible to empathise. Explaining (insert spoiler bit here) would have been difficult to do even with an NT child considering all the emotions involved. If I were trying to explain it to ds1 I would probably have tried to use Social Stories to explain and then slowly add the inevitable changes to his routine. It would be a thousand times simpler to just do what Christopher's father did. It wouldn't have been the way that I would have handled it but I can see how much easier it must have been.

My friend lent me the book as she said it reminded her so much of ds1. I think a lot of it was fairly stereotypical but there were quite a few bits in it that reminded me of ds1 and dh.

coppertop, i can understand his motivations but not forgive him, because there was always the potential that the boy would find out, with catastrophic consequences.

Here is The Guardian on-line question and answer session with the author Mark Haddon and explains where he got his knowledge of Aspergers from.

bundle - just think the father was overwhelmed by the whole situation. Left by his wife, spurned and humiliated by the woman he thought he could have a fling with. Undoubtedly wrong to tell the boy about his mother but with good intentions. After all, he was the one left to bring up the boy on his own and hold down a job.

Been a while since I read it though so struggling to remember the details

Have to say I felt for the dad too (SPOILER WARNING) he didn't plan to tell him she was dead, he just didn't know what else to do, how to tell him the truth. Agree that the mum's story was largely untold but the father, on the whole, did a good job of holding things together, and seemed to better understand his son.