May 12: Book review

‘Member a couple weeks ago when I was sure I had the swine flu even though I didn’t really have the symptoms? And you people read that and shook your heads and said, “My god, that woman is a wackjob, and not in the good way”? And by “you people” I mean my husband? Yeah.

Most of the non-flu symptoms I had that were making me wish I were getting more sympathy are gone now, but-cept for the horrible, hacking, here-comes-another-one-of-my-lungs cough. What makes my cough even worse, you ask? Talking. Talking makes it worse. Yesterday I was on the phone with my mom for an hour; I coughed throughout our conversation and for three hours after. I talked to Vic for three minutes and coughed for an hour after. I coughed all night and hardly got any sleep because when I wasn’t coughing, Vic was snoring. So…

I. Am. Grouchy.

Ye be warned.

In an effort not to talk, I’ve avoided work and tried to keep myself busy with quiet activities, like iPhone Scrabble and reading. Today I finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon. If you know anyone with autism, and specifically Asperger’s, you may be interested in reading this book. Here’s Amazon’s quickie review:

Mark Haddon's bitterly funny debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a murder mystery of sorts--one told by an autistic version of Adrian Mole. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers.

Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington's owner finds him cradling her dead dog in his arms, and has him arrested. After spending a night in jail, Christopher resolves--against the objection of his father and neighbors--to discover just who has murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations, and the result--quirkily illustrated, with each chapter given its own prime number--is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Haddon's novel is a startling performance. This is the sort of book that could turn condescending, or exploitative, or overly sentimental, or grossly tasteless very easily, but Haddon navigates those dangers with a sureness of touch that is extremely rare among first-time novelists. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is original, clever, and genuinely moving: this one is a must-read.

I thought it was a fascinating peek into the mind of a child with autism. The authors knows of what he speaks, having worked with children in the past. Interestingly, no forms of the word “autism” are used in the book; told from the child’s point of view, it becomes quite clear early on that his way of thinking is unique.

I also enjoyed reading this interview with the author posted at Powells in 2003.

The next book on my stack is about a woman who, having reached her absolute boiling point, murders her elderly mother. From what I can tell, it’s a novel and not a how-to book. Still, I’ll collect any good tips I find for ya, Mom, because I know the only thing stopping you sometimes is the HOW. It’s certainly not the WHY.