The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

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• Sue Townsend, The Adrian Mole Diaries (1986)
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Major Character List

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

• Christopher Boone—15 year old autistic boy, narrator and hero
• Mrs. Boone—Christopher’s mother, presumed dead
• Mr. (Ed) Boone—Christopher’s father
• Mrs. (Eileen) Shears—Neighbor and sometime girlfriend of Mr. Boone
• Mr. (Roger) Shears—Husband of Mrs. Shears and lover of Mrs. Boone
• Siobhan—Christopher’s teacher and the one who encourages him to write
• Toby—a pet rat
• Wellington—Mrs. Shear’s dog whose death starts the story

Discussion Questions

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

1. Whether or not you are personally familiar with autism, did you find Christopher’s characterization to be both believable and consistent?
2. Were you surprised by the truth about Christopher’s mother?
3. How sympathetic were you toward Christopher’s father? Do you think that
   he should be forgiven?
4. The book has been described as both a comedy and a tragedy. Which emotion did you feel most often? How did you feel at the end?
5. Did you think that Christopher would be successful in his quest to get to London?
6. Were you surprised by the solution to the “murder mystery”? Why or why not?
7. Though Christopher’s quirks may be extreme—not eating anything yellow, not allowing anyone to touch him—what strange little things do you do that others might find as unusual?
8. There is talk of making this book into a film. Do you think it is possible to do it justice in that format?
9. Do you think that after reading this book you would be more sensitive to people who behave like Christopher?
10. Who were you more worried about on the trip to London—Christopher or Toby?