Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
This book is as inescapably English as… fish and chips, or bangers and mash, or tea and crumpets, or [insert your own favorite quintessentially English foodstuff]. The similarities come up in the...
Narrator Point of View
If you read our thoughts on "Why Should I Care?", you know how important the narrator is to this story. Actually, if you read the book, you know how important the narrator is to this story.Christop...
Tone
This one's not too tough. Even our narrator knows he's detached:These are some of my Behavioural ProblemsA. Not talking to people for a long time [...]K. Not noticing that people are angry with me....
Writing Style
Christopher Boone says what he means – sometimes to a fault. And this matter-of-factness is clearest in his writing style. Yep, that's right – Christopher's writing style, not Mark Haddon's. (W...
What's Up With the Title?
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. That's quite a hefty title. Let's take a closer look.Christopher really likes Sherlock Holmes, and he constructs his own book as a murder mystery...
What's Up With the Ending?
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has an awesome ending that reminds us of the introduction. That's what we call some satisfying symmetry. We wouldn't expect anything less from some...
Tough-o-Meter
Written from the perspective of a fifteen-year-old boy, this book is quite easy to follow. The language is crisp and clear, and very approachable. There are delightful lists and diagrams and illust...