Jen Terpstra's Reviews > The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Ha! Thanks. :D The book just upset me. I don't understand why I'm "supposed" to read crap like this just because "they" say so. "They" don't understand it either. They just pretend to. *rolleyes*

Totally agree with you! My book club read this a few months ago and we all hated it.

I think the fact that it made you feel something different to what other books have done in the past, speaks in its favour. A book doesn't necessarily have to make you feel satisfied to be worth reading. Plus, you have to read the stuff you don't like to realise what you do.

"they" are so annoying. "they" think you are a "moron" just because you don't read "smart" books that "they" like, "they" probably think "nora roberts" is a "moron," well "they" might be right about ol nora, that crap is sort of like shorthand for people who "enjoy" "thinking" and have "complex" emotions and need something "interesting" to stimulate them. god i hate "stupid" lit snobs!!! BUT I LOVE "QOUTES"!!!!!

I agree with JP... a book doesn't necessarily have to invoke feelings of satisfaction to be a quality book. Unless you're on the spectrum and can actually identify with the main character, the story SHOULD make you feel a little uncomfortable and confused. People on the spectrum DON'T think or act the same way as people who are not; the author's POV and voice in this story illustrate just that, and in my opinion, in order to make non-autistic people begin to understand what life is like for those on the spectrum. I don't agree with your claim that others think this is a classic...books become popular for any number of reasons. Just because it's on a bestseller list doesn't mean it will last through the ages (like Pride and Prejudice) to become a classic. Be careful with your labeling.

You are right, Cather in the Rye is complete crap and one of my most hated books of all time. And you are also right that Pride and Prejudice is one of the best novels of all time. So with that in common, I'm guessing the reason you didn't like this books is that you don't have a loved one in the autism spectrum like I do. This book is not "Literary Snob" material by any means, I think only people who don't have an autistic loved one would think of it in those terms. It's not a classic either. However, it is groundbreaking because when this book came out, my son was 9 years old (he is now an adult) and I really had no idea what he was thinking...ever...because he doesn't communicate, verbally or otherwise. I cannot tell you how much I wished I could just have an inkling of how his mind worked... and then this book came out. There is more truth to this boy than you may realize since you do not live with someone with autism and really, I understand because it would be hard for me to understand either if I didn't live with it every day. The one thing I hated about this book was the parents. The mother left?? What a selfish bitch. And the father thinks life is so bad? Ha!! I only wish my son could talk, write, and ride public transportation by himself! Get off the pity parade already! The adults in this novel are crap and poorly written, but the insight into how the boys thinks is great. I also highly recommend anything by Temple Grandin.

I just had to write because I both like (Pride and Prejudice, etc.) and hate (Catcher in the Rye - blech!) the books you mentioned in the exact same degree as you, yet really loved this one. Weird. I loved the kid's voice, mostly because it is so alien. Also, I have a number of friends with kids on the spectrum, and to have the behavior I hear them talk about "explained" from the inside is fascinating to me.

I'm 52 pages in and this feels like a scribble put into words! I have no idea if I will/can finish this. I'm glad I got it for only $2 at Goodwill. A 'sheeple' book for sure. Thank goodness I'm not the only one

I can respect your opinion but being called a fake is where you have "us" wrong. In the same way we can't imagine having fun with genre books, you can't have fun with "snob" books. I don't know why people have to take that dissonance to the extreme by saying we only pretend to enjoy these. Yes it does piss me off and yes it does actually hurt, as if a 99% virginity rate among snobbers isn't enough. That last part - OK maybe a little manipulative but dang, being called insincere. Brings out the worst.

Why can't we have the both of both worlds? I can go with some mindless, happy predictable novel. The next day, I can pick up my heavy copy of War and Peace (name drop) and give that a go. I get satisfaction from both. One makes me think about culture, different perspectives, feelings, hatred... just generally makes me feel (whatever it is that I do). The other lets me escape from the harsh pressures of reality. Seriously, it can be both.

So true. I hated "Catcher in the Rye" and after halfway reading this book, I'm feeling the same sort of hatred for this book too. haha

Just because someone likes books like the catcher in the rye doesn't mean they're literary snobs, it means they know what they like to read and read that, the same way you do.

A month? It took me 3 hours, I couldn't read fast enough to finish this ordeal! ;)

Did it really take you a month to finish a 200 page book? Maybe you should spend less time letting people know how educated you are and articulate how you had reading difficulty with deliberately simple prose.

Funny! I really liked this book, but so many of the books other people like, I absolutely hate. I got a kick out of your review.

Philip, maybe it took her a month to get through because she didn't want to finish this ridiculous book and felt like reading something else to keep her sanity in the meantime.

boo Philip, yay, Scott . . . .Ha!

I HATE "The Catcher in the Rye." Actually, I have decent vocabulary, and I can't come up with a synonym to "hate" that fully expains how I feel about that book. That you hate it as well, and then don't recommend this book, that's enough for me to know I don't need to read it either. Thank you for saving my time.

Your review provides no concrete reasons for you hating the book. Please provide proof next time you write a review, as that would be more valuable in the context of what you are saying, rather than saying you are smart and educated.

Honestly, I have to agree. Nora Roberts all the way!

Funny, I love "Catcher in the Rye," but wasn't a fan of this book.

@Megan: I hated "Catcher In the Rye" too, but I absolutely adored this book. it's one of my favorites. I don't find the two similar at all, except that there's a male protagonist. that's about it. that shouldn't deter you from giving this a shot.

No offence but you seem a little stuck-up. Really? I'm smart? I'm educated? Saying those words make me think that you're the absolute opposite. I loved Pride and Prejudice and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. There's no need to be overly hateful. If you truly loved books then you would have given every book a chance.
I don't like the The Modest Proposal but given it's importance and the immaculate intelligence of the writing, I still acknowledge and admire it.
P.S. Memoirs of the Geisha is not silly. Stop thinking you're special.

I think if anyone thought this novel was in any way cerebral or a piece of literary snobbery, it quickly becomes clear that they are out of touch with the aforesaid subjects indeed. The book borders on the infantile, as is the pressumed intent of the author. How that can be confused with high literature astounds me. Do you find the works of Dan Brown and King overtly scholarly too?

Hi Jen, thank you for your review! This book was nominated for a book club I'm a member of. Like you, I detest Cather in the Rye (what garbage?! How is that a classic??). If you think these two books are similar, no way am I voting to read this!

This book is the epitome of a contemporary novel and follows the techniques of the contemporary genre. You may just not enjoy the genre.

'I'm smart. I'm educated.' Can you come up with a review without lowkey self-advertisement?

I get that your high expectations made you get the wrong idea of the book. But if you have read stories with happy endings in a “perfect world”, it is not surprising that you do not like this book. We need to understand the real world and read about it. I think it is more depressing to realise that you never will experience the amazing world you are reading about then reading about the real world your living in. Books that describe an amazing world make you get high expectations on life and you already know the consequences of high expectations.
I hope that you will reconsider your thoughts and give the “Classic books” a second chance, it is totally worth it.

reddit.com/r/iamverysmart

Okay, but what did you not like about it. You never explained that part. What was the point of the review?

Megan-Just because you have similar choices with the surprisingly shallow author of this review doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. Try and think for yourself. Read some other reviews too. You can relate with people, but that doesn't mean they're the exact same as you. As for the synonym, perhaps "despise"?

What, exactly, did you dislike about it. You repeat several times in different ways that you disliked it, but you didn't say why.

I too felt out of sorts when I read this book. I picked it up because the narrator is autistic and being someone who has Asperger's Syndrome myself, I went in thinking maybe I could relate to him. While there are some mannerisms he has that align with some of my own mannerisms and think it's rather clever the chapters are numbered like prime numbers, the story itself was disjointed and I found myself finding Chris to be utterly annoying and overbearing. It got to a point where it made me think "Jeez! I hope I don't come out this condescending!" at times when I read his character. Also, it felt nothing like a murder mystery at all like it was marketed as and came out more as a melodrama.

In short, great idea, but I was just barely able to finish this when I read it.

“I’m smart” “I’m educated” “I can devour a book in 12hs” - you, Ms, sound like a huge literary snob. High expectations often lead to great disappointments, and the fact that you did not like the book does not mean it’s pretentious.

Pretty good review. Probably would chill with the quotation marks. I disagree but respect your opinion.

Heather wrote: "I agree with JP... a book doesn't necessarily have to invoke feelings of satisfaction to be a quality book. Unless you're on the spectrum and can actually identify with the main character, the stor..."

The problem is that autistic people largely aren't like the main character at all who resembles a caricature of what Neurotypicals tend to think autistics are like more than anything else.
When an adult autistic guy that doesn't know he's autistic marvels at how he "got a look into how autistic people think" it's highly likely the author hasn't exactly done a good job writing an autistic person. Indeed, the author confessed that he had done next to no research.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!

Seriously people, what's wrong with you! So much hatred...

The craft of the writing comes from the author’s ability to encapsulate a voice that is not his own, effectively and accurately and so seamlessly that you forget you are reading the written word of Mark Haddon, but the words of a 15-year-old boy with Aspergers.

This review resonated so much with me. I have had this on my to read list for quite some time, mostly due to the fact that it is so acclaimed and highly rated. I can't finish it. I am bored. uggghhhh...I really wanted to like this one.

You seem like someone who values style over substance.

I'm surprised to hear insults and labels applied to people who liked the book.
I really enjoyed this book. Thought it was different and interesting. I don't think it makes me smarter or better than anyone who disliked it. It just worked for me. In contrast, I don't think because I liked it, that it says anything negative about me either.
I read this because my wife liked it and read it. I wasn't aware of any hype about it.

I'm sorry it didn't reach you. I also disliked Catcher in the Rye, both in high school and years later as an adult, but this book is different. I really liked this book. I'm sorry to hear other commenters say they're bored with it....to each their own I guess.

I agree. This book might have been engrossing but I would call the writing lyrical as much as rambling. Also yes I got p*ssed off at it. Especially the characters

This book is awesome if you look carefully and nicely enough thanks

Finally created an account to say I agree with you.

A close friend raved about this for years and I finally got a copy and plodded my way through it. It was miserable, boring and not very well written. I left it feeling depressed and that my valuable time could have been much better used.

Felt the book started strong enough, but became very predictable, plot wise, after a few chapters. Figured out the 'murderer' and the 'not dead-missing mom' scenario well before the confession arrived. So, the book became somewhat boring and tedious and anti-climatic, for sure. Yes, The Catcher and the Rye...is probaly best suited for kindling on a cold winter night.

Excellent review, thank you.