This was one of the most touching stories I’ve read in some time.
One of the beautiful things about living in New York City is being surrounded by the best theater and performing artists in the world. I now have the leisure of nonchalantly saying to myself, “Hmm, that play that won a Tony? That’s right around the corner, I should probably go see that.”
(This, of course, excludes Hamilton. A weasel has a better chance of getting into Harvard Law School than I do at getting Hamilton tickets.)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was one of these nonchalant theater choices—tickets were half-off, I had heard nothing but phenomenal things, so why not? And let me tell you: this show knocked my socks off. I could go on and on about how spectacular the acting, production, and writing were…but, this is a book blog, not a theater blog.
Since I adored the play so much, I went a little crazy looking into the creative process for the show. It wasn’t long until I found out the play was based on a book published in the early 2000’s. So, of course, I downloaded and started reading the book the same night I watched the play.
The play pretty much is a direct adaptation of the book, with most of the dialogue and description pulled directly from the novel. The story is told in diary entries from the narrator, Christopher, a high-functioning autistic teenager. Though the story begins with solving the mystery of a murdered dog in Christopher’s neighborhood, the narrative gradually progresses to tackle the ideas of family, trust, and identity with heartbreaking honesty.
Since the writing is structured as diary entries, the novel does a beautiful job of putting you in the mind of an autistic character and making his truth seem real (because, it’s hard for most of us to put ourselves in those shoes).
This was an extremely quick read: I was finished within three days. Talking about the story and the prose I feel kind of spoils the experience, so I’ll say nothing more than this: please read this book. It will make you laugh, cry, and ultimately challenge how you see the world.
Ashleigh Reads 