Here’s a write-up on two recently-finished books: Btw, I noticed a common theme: They were narrated by people who do not experience emotion; one narrator being autistic, the other a serial killer.
Curious? Read on………
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Christopher decides to track down the killer of a neighbour’s dog, that he found impaled on a garden fork, that he was initially accused of killing. But Christopher does not relate well to fellow humans: while he knows every prime number up to 7,057 and is sitting for A-level Maths when he is only 15 yrs old, he has no real understanding of human emotions. He is autistic.
Yet he takes it upon himself to investigate the murder of Wellington, and my oh my, what he discovers is mind-blowing… among other things, he discovers what REALLY happened to his mother two years ago. He also manages to make his way to London, all by himself, evading capture by policemen. And all throughout, we get an insight to how his brain works, the tangents his minds jumps to, how information overload appears to him…
Most unsettling of all is reading what would be the more emotional scenes of the tale, but since it’s narrated by Christopher who doesn’t understand emotions, we are told just what he sees on the surface; it is up to us to interpret these scenes into what is really going on… and gives us a better understanding of how the world looks (and how incomprehensible it can all be) to Christopher.
Pity it’s so easy to read, though. 220 pages in about 2 hours. I’d recommend it as a great gift for someone, but not to buy for yourself, because it’s too easily read!
~~~
Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
He’s baaaaaaaack! Yes, the ‘good’ serial killer who only preys on other serial killers has another book out. This time Dexter’s dragged into the world of a serial almost-killer: someone who keeps his victims alive as he surgically removes limbs, tongue, nose, ears, lips, etc while working under a mirror so the victim can watch… ending with just a mewling torso… jeeeez where does the author GET these ideas?? Keep ‘em coming!!
So, Book 2 continues to be narrated by Dexter himself, and once again we are treated to the inner workings of his mind as he is confronted with numerous situations where emotions are required, and he goes through a process of figuring out what to say, since he has no intuition for such things. That he ends up patting someone’s back, saying “There, there…” so awkwardly, is just hilarious!
I like the idea of Dexter finding himself a young protégé, someone to mentor, someone to pass on the Code of Harry, the Harry being Dexter’s stepfather who trained Dexter to put his ‘talent’ to ‘good’ use, the Harry being a cop who taught Dexter how to make sure his victims were ‘right’, the Harry being a cop who taught Dexter who to clean up after himself to make sure he didn’t leave traces that could lead back to him. Screwed-up, ainnit? Just the way I like ‘em!
I’m definitely keeping an eye out for more from this guy.
Curious? Read on………
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Christopher decides to track down the killer of a neighbour’s dog, that he found impaled on a garden fork, that he was initially accused of killing. But Christopher does not relate well to fellow humans: while he knows every prime number up to 7,057 and is sitting for A-level Maths when he is only 15 yrs old, he has no real understanding of human emotions. He is autistic.
Yet he takes it upon himself to investigate the murder of Wellington, and my oh my, what he discovers is mind-blowing… among other things, he discovers what REALLY happened to his mother two years ago. He also manages to make his way to London, all by himself, evading capture by policemen. And all throughout, we get an insight to how his brain works, the tangents his minds jumps to, how information overload appears to him…
Most unsettling of all is reading what would be the more emotional scenes of the tale, but since it’s narrated by Christopher who doesn’t understand emotions, we are told just what he sees on the surface; it is up to us to interpret these scenes into what is really going on… and gives us a better understanding of how the world looks (and how incomprehensible it can all be) to Christopher.
Pity it’s so easy to read, though. 220 pages in about 2 hours. I’d recommend it as a great gift for someone, but not to buy for yourself, because it’s too easily read!
~~~
Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
He’s baaaaaaaack! Yes, the ‘good’ serial killer who only preys on other serial killers has another book out. This time Dexter’s dragged into the world of a serial almost-killer: someone who keeps his victims alive as he surgically removes limbs, tongue, nose, ears, lips, etc while working under a mirror so the victim can watch… ending with just a mewling torso… jeeeez where does the author GET these ideas?? Keep ‘em coming!!
So, Book 2 continues to be narrated by Dexter himself, and once again we are treated to the inner workings of his mind as he is confronted with numerous situations where emotions are required, and he goes through a process of figuring out what to say, since he has no intuition for such things. That he ends up patting someone’s back, saying “There, there…” so awkwardly, is just hilarious!
I like the idea of Dexter finding himself a young protégé, someone to mentor, someone to pass on the Code of Harry, the Harry being Dexter’s stepfather who trained Dexter to put his ‘talent’ to ‘good’ use, the Harry being a cop who taught Dexter how to make sure his victims were ‘right’, the Harry being a cop who taught Dexter who to clean up after himself to make sure he didn’t leave traces that could lead back to him. Screwed-up, ainnit? Just the way I like ‘em!
I’m definitely keeping an eye out for more from this guy.
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