Sunday, April 04, 2004

Autistic differences

Christopher sees the world through literal eyes. Metaphor holds no meaning for him,
though similes come to him more easily. He understands logic and is very, very
good at maths. He is not capable of feeling, and even he is hurt
he cannot demonstrate it any socially acceptable manner.
Yet, are our worn coping skills, any better than his? (As one reviewer put it)

I'm talking about this book I recently read "The curious incident of the dog in the
night-time" by Mark Haddon. Yes, if you'd thought about it and made the connection,
the central character is Christopher. He is an autistic 15 year old, who embarks on a mission:
to solve the murder of a neighbourhood dog Wellingdon.
The writing is effective (deeply empathetic, funny, sad and crystal clear) and the story
also incorporates maps, diagrams, quadratic equations and some puzzles.

An unlikely story, but one that will keep you thinking for a long time.
Wanna know more? Here's the link

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