"The Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight", a book that shows us what the autistic mind is like.

An entertaining text by Mark Haddon that delves into the world of a child who does not feel emotions.

Christopher John Francis Boone is 15 years old. He knows all the countries of the world, their capitals, and every prime number up to 7,057. he does not have an understanding of human emotions. human emotions. He can't stand to be touched and always seeks routine, order and predictability in his daily life, as this makes him feel safe and secure.

The above description corresponds to a child with Asperger's Syndrome, a subtype of Autism included within the autistic spectrum, whose main characteristics are difficulty in social interaction, affectivity and communication, lack of empathy and sensitivity towards others, tendency to egocentrism, naivety and credulity, lack of knowledge of limits and social norms, as well as restricted and repetitive interests.

Also, a certain obsession for routine, order and for turning daily acts into rituals.. The main difference between Asperger Syndrome and the other subtypes of the autistic spectrum is that these people do not present a delay in their intelligenceThe main difference between Asperger Syndrome and the other subtypes of the autism spectrum is that these individuals do not have a delay in their intelligence, sometimes being above average, as in the case of high-functioning autistic individuals. However, this particular child is part of a work of fiction.

The autism spectrum experienced in first person

Christopher is the protagonist of the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is its original title). The story is narrated in first person by this 15-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome who lives with his father in Swindon (Wiltshire, UK).

It is a novel by British writer Mark Haddon which won the 2003 Withbread Book of the Year Award, the 2005 Best First Book for Young Readers Award and the 2004 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book. As a young man, Haddon worked with autistic people, which has enabled him to reliably describe the thoughts of a child with the condition.

The story begins when Christopher finds his neighbor's dog dead in the garden, and is initially blamed for the event. From here, the routine and order Christopher had created around his life slowly crumble as he investigates who the dog's real killer was.

The brilliance of the novel lies in Mark Haddon's choice of narrator: tortuous, emotion-filled moments are described by a boy who cannot imagine the thrill.. The effect is dazzling, making it a funny and touching story, while giving us a different view of human behavior and helping us understand how an autistic person thinks, lives and feels.

Locked in their world, there is great difficulty in communicating with people with autism, and it can be an almost impossible task to understand the reason for their strange actions, exaggerated reactions or impassive behavior to different stimuli. Haddon tries to capture the ideas and reasoning that Christopher has throughout the events that happen in his life, events seen from a totally different perspective to the one we are used to..

A didactic and enjoyable read

The Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight lacks long and tedious descriptions, and its reading is made agile thanks to the dialogues between the characters and the simple explanations of the protagonist. In addition, among the plot of the story, one can find mathematical and logical demonstrationsThe story also includes mathematical and logical demonstrations, such as the explanation of the Monty Hall problem, scientific and historical curiosities such as the Cottingley fairies, and some literary references, especially to Sherlock Holmes novels.

This book is highly recommended for those interested in autism, as they will learn in a fun and playful way what it is really like to experience this behavioral disorder without necessarily resorting to theoretical manuals.