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Christopher Boone, the autistic 15-year-old narrator of this revelatory novel, relaxes by groaning and doing math problems in his head, eats red-but not yellow or brown-foods and screams when he is touched. Strange as he may seem, other people are far more of a conundrum to him, for he lacks the intuitive "theory of mind" by which most of us sense what's going on in other people's heads. When his neighbor's poodle is killed and Christopher is falsely accused of the crime, he decides that he will take a page from Sherlock Holmes (one of his favorite characters) and track down the killer. As the mystery leads him to the secrets of his parents' broken marriage and then into an odyssey to find his place in the world, he must fall back on deductive logic to navigate the emotional complexities of a social world that remains a closed book to him. In the hands of first-time novelist Haddon, Christopher is a fascinating case study and, above all, a sympathetic boy: not closed off, as the stereotype would have it, but too open-overwhelmed by sensations, bereft of the filters through which normal people screen their surroundings. Christopher can only make sense of the chaos of stimuli by imposing arbitrary patterns ("4 yellow cars in a row made it a Black Day, which is a day when I don't speak to anyone and sit on my own reading books and don't eat my lunch and Take No Risks"). His literal-minded observations make for a kind of poetic sensibility and a poignant evocation of character. Though Christopher insists, "This will not be a funny book. I cannot tell jokes because I do not understand them," the novel brims with touching, ironic humor. The result is an eye-opening work in a unique and compelling literary voice. Copyright 2003 Publishers Weekly.
- Dimensions:
- 8.0x6.0x1.0
Customer Reviews
Good reading, but also an incredible picture of what it must be like to live with the autistic spectrum disorders.
- How often do you shop at Overstock.com? Few times a year
- Are you a Club O Member? Yes
I ordered this book because I had to read it for summer reading, and I must say, it has been one of the most enjoyable summer reading books I have ever read. It has a frankness and stream-of-consciousness style similar to "Catcher in the Rye", but offers the point of view from someone that notices everything and can always relate it to something. The story has a strong hook and start. However, after about halfway through, it begins to decline, and in the last 20 pages, it shoots itself in the foot. It begins with an autistic 15 year old finding the dead dog of their neighbor in the street. He goes about trying to figure out who killed it, and from that point forward, the story progresses in a seemingly disjointed manner, with tangents and digressions that add to the believability of the character. I won't spoil anything, but after we hit the halfway point, it begins to go downhill, and destroys any chance of salvation in the last 20 pages. It's not that the ending is bad, it's just that the author seemingly forgot how to write in character. All problems aside, the story is very enjoyable, and certainly worth purchasing. despite what I said, the flaws are minimal, and the book, entertaining and informative.
- How often do you shop at Overstock.com? Few times a year
- Are you a Club O Member? No
Rating 
fillamina from Philadelphia PA, Mar 22, 2007
- Information Value:
3 out of 5 - Entertainment Value:
5 out of 5 - Value:
4 out of 5
I think the Christopher is entertaining and even made me laugh at times through out the book. But I don't think that that is what the author intended. It was informative in the sense that you were living an autisic life through the eyes of an autisic child.
- How often do you shop at Overstock.com? Monthly
- Are you a Club O Member? No
Rating 
mine300 from Hopedale, MA, Sep 1, 2006
- Information Value:3 out of 5
- Entertainment Value:
1 out of 5 - Value:1 out of 5
The content was good. the writing style was completely boring to me.
- How often do you shop at Overstock.com? Monthly
- Are you a Club O Member? No
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