The story is about Christopher Boone, an autistic teenage boy, living in England. After his neighbor's pet dog, Wellington, is murdered and he is wrongfully accused, Christopher decides that he wants to do some detective work to find out who committed this terrible act. While he is a shy boy, who doesn't like strangers and hates being touched, he goes about interviewing his neighbors in hopes that he can solve the crime. But in doing so, he unravels a mystery having to do with his own family and ends up setting out on an adventure that challenges him in all sorts of ways.
While this won't go on my list of favoites, I did enjoy this book. To me, it wasn't so much about the story itself, it was more about how it was told through an autistic teenager's mind. It's a good reminder that not everyone sees the world through the same set of eyes.
I'm really iffy about reading any book with autistic characters. I think they are frequently stereotyped and don't really help readers understand the full range of the "spectrum" of autism. That said, I've heard so many positive things about this book that I may break down and read it at some point.
ReplyDeleteI probably wouldn't have read this if it hadn't been a book club pick, for that reason. But I do think the author did a good job of giving some insight into how autism can effect not only the child, but also the family.
ReplyDeleteIf you end up reading it, let me know what you think!