WrittenbyMark Haddon this is one of the most unique and intriguing books you will ever read. Narrated by 15 year old Christopher Boone it is darkly funny, emotional and a detective novel in a very unexpected way. Christopher has Asperger’s and his father has a very big secret, which sends his son on a revealing and incredibly brave journey.
I admit that I missed some of the more subtle humour as I found myself approaching the text from Christopher’s honest and black and white point of view. Like I was reading it completely from his perspective – which is just one of the genius things about this novel.
Here’s one of his thoughts on life which made me laugh:
“Eventually scientists will discover something that explains ghosts, just like they discovered electricity which explained lightning, and it might be something about peoples brains, or something about the earths magnetic field, or it might be some new force altogether. And then ghosts won’t be mysteries. They will be like electricity and rainbows and non-stick frying pans.”
It is a rare novel that makes me cry and laugh, that lets me zoom through it with ease and contains lists and illustrations from the protagonist which are entertaining and informative.
My bloke has had this on his bookshelf for years and I can’t believe I’ve only just got around to reading it, seeing as it was also recommended to me by several friends over the years. Read it. It will entertain you and give you more empathy and understanding than you’ve ever had before.
Chrissie xx
Vamp It Up 