I just posted this to Amazon.com and thought I'd also add it here for those that might be interested. :-)
*five stars* Wonderfully accurate -- as an autistic, I should know! :-)
Reviewer: moggymania from Northern Bay Area of California, USA
As an autistic, I have a special interest in reading works that feature autistic main characters, partly to see how neurotypical people think our brains work, but partly just for the joy I feel when somebody "gets it right."
Mark Haddon absolutely "got it right" in this book. From descriptions of how overwhelming the man-made world is for us on a sensory level, to frustration with a society that expects us to learn how to recognize neurotypical facial expressions based on simple drawings -- I'm really impressed, everything really does reflect how many of us experience life. Even the way he'll be talking to an adult one minute and they'll suddenly lose their temper at him, or how his mind digresses to his perseverative interests, and his belief that animals are just as good (if not better) than humans, is exactly what my life has been like. It was like reading something written by my own brain. :-)
Parents and friends of autistics can also learn a great deal about how to interact with us in a way that makes us comfortable from the book. Christopher's parents are rare in their acceptance of his needs; instead of forcing him to learn to hug or maintain painful physical contact to fulfill *their* needs, they learn to communicate their love (and to let him communicate his) by gently but firmly touching one another's fingertips. He turns out to be a wonderfully well-adjusted, happy, secure boy that does far more than anybody would expect of an "autistic" as a result.
There is much more than that to the book, though. The story itself is filled with innovative twists and turns that bring it far beyond the "mystery" category -- or any other genre. Every chapter, I found myself wondering eagerly what would happen next, whether Christopher was trying to figure out how to navigate the train system to London or having a meltdown in his bedroom. In addition to that, there are many points where Christopher does what I know (from being taught) is "naughty" -- usually what neurotypicals are tempted to do but naturally refrain from -- and I was quite tickled by him actually breaking the rules!
I've read thousands of books in my lifetime, as reading is *my* big perseveration, and even earned my bachelor's degree from U.C. Berkeley's English department. "Curious Incident" is, in my opinion, absolutely one of the best I've experienced, and I dearly hope the author writes a sequel. :-)
Posted by moggy at November 08, 2003 10:05 PM | TrackBack
