Through a Perspective: A Literary Review

image from QUIAHUITZIN

        The story revolves around Christopher Boone, a young boy with special needs who lives with his father in Swindon, a town in South West England. One day, he saw the body of Wellington, their neighbor's dog, stabbed with a garden fork. As he shares this story to Siobhan, a trusted 'friend' of his, Christopher was able to start his investigation journey. Although his father clearly stated that he did not agree with his investigation journey and that he should drop it immediately, Christopher still chose to proceed with it anyway. Along the way, he gradually unveils different secrets and truths that were kept from him. Because of the things he learned about, he wanted to escape Swindon, and that is when his journey to London alone started. With him being caught up in different messy situations, he had no choice but to decide to face reality, and choose where he would stay permanently. 

        The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, a novel that was published seventeen years ago, was written by Mark Haddon. This novel is undeniably unique in its own way; given the theme, the way it was written, the point of view and narration of the character, even the title of the novel itself, which was inspired by a Sherlock Holmes reference, are all unique compared to novels and stories that we usually see. 

        If the readers of the novel were paying attention right from the very beginning, they would immediately figure out that Christopher, the main character, suffers with social disabilities, and he is someone who does not think and communicate the same way as most people do. 

        Christopher's distinctive character is reflected with how the novel is formed. It can be initially seen with how the numbering of the chapters were made; prime numbers are the set of numbers that Christopher loves and prefers so when Christopher decided to write in his diary-book, he specifically chose to use these. The way Haddon chose the narration style is also distinctive and reflective of Christopher's character; it is written in a more chill but complex style wherein readers are able to see how Christopher actually views the world and what he thinks about his surroundings.

        Generally speaking, the first few chapters really did catch my attention as it felt like it was written in a different approach/way compared to the books and novels I have read and encountered. Given the fact that the narration is based on the perspective of the main character who has a unique way of viewing things, I still was able to appreciate and picture the scenes clearly in my head. In a way, the child-like, complicated style it was written, actually gave more of the distinctive feels and structure the whole of the novel has. 

        As the story goes on, there are parts or chapters which I find unnecessary and in a way, a hassle to try putting on effort to understand the text; these parts are usually when he talks about science, math, and some logical thinking. Given his character though, I must admit that these parts actually are necessary in a way that it enhances and projects more of Christopher's character to the readers, and also with the fact that the book is 'written' by Christopher himself, these 'unnecessary' thoughts for me, somehow becomes necessary in order to complete the story.

         Furthermore, unfortunate as it may sound, as I was continuing to read the chapters, I felt kind of a bit bored; the excitement that I felt at the start slowly started to fade away, and it felt like some scenes were a bit repetitive. I must clarify though, there are still a lot of scenes that I feel like gave the story a chance to redeem itself. Most of the scenes though, are usually the parts wherein the emotions the novel is giving is heightened and highlighted compared to the usual narration. Scenes wherein Christopher finds out the truth about what has been happening around him, scenes wherein Christopher had to go through a long journey alone and was forced to face different obstacles on his own, and the scene where most of the important characters were gathered and seen in one place. 

        I also would like to mention how Christopher's journey alone to London became an opportunity for him to step out of his shell, although the situation he was in was nowhere near good at that time, and he was technically forced to be independent. In these chapters, readers were able to see how Christopher breakthroughs as he finds himself in situations that are not common for him. From being an aloof type of person when he is surrounded by strangers, he was then forced to talk to them in order to be able to ask for directions, and he was forced to go to crowded places alone which he would not usually do even if he is with someone. But then, although these are exemplary moves, I would also like to mention how I think that Christopher was really not able to completely come out of his shell as he still chose to distract himself with different thoughts which he usually does when he wants to escape a certain scenario. 

        On the other hand, I would like to briefly talk about the characters that completed the story of Christopher. First, the Father of Christopher, Ed, showed a change on his character through Christopher's perspective. At first, he was someone that Christopher could casually talk to about things that happened during his day, he would cook for him, they would spend their weekend together, and they even have a specific way of showing their love to each other. But as Christopher finds out the truth, his Father became a liar, murderer, deceiver, and someone who is frightening in the eyes of Christopher. Second, Siobhan, Christopher's trusted friend and teacher; I personally think that her character is not much talked about although her role is technically a major help for Christopher. Siobhan, as seen in how Christopher narrated and described her, is someone who Christopher is comfortable with to the point wherein he shares everything that is happening around him. In a way, she is like a mother figure to Christopher as she supports and helps him overcome things. As for the mother, Judy, she has always been someone who is hot tempered; although she loves Christopher, it was shown in various parts of the novel how it was sometimes overwhelming for her to take care of her own son. 

        Personally, I think this novel is able to show readers complicated and realistic issues that actually happen in the real world through the most convenient way for the author—writing; creating a world for readers through words, descriptions, and scenarios. This novel talks about family-relationship issues and social struggles that were seen in the perspective of a teenage boy who struggles mentally, socially, and emotionally. This novel is also an eye opener to the readers in regards to being able to view not only the struggles of a young boy with special needs, but also their perspective and how they usually view things in their everyday lives.

        Looking back at the novel itself, there were unresolved issues between the main characters themselves, as well as the main characters and the supporting ones. Although I am not sure if these unresolved issues were really intended, I think it helps with making the novel more realistic. This also applies to how the ending was written; if I were to be asked how the ending was, I would honestly say that it is far from being a part of the most iconic or satisfying ending I have seen. I could not help but ask, "That's it? I spent my personal time reading this novel and that's it?" But then, when I think about it, realistically speaking, I cannot see or imagine an ending of this novel that would really satisfy me in a way that it is still relatable to the real world.