An excellent book, beautifully written, that expertly tells the story of an autistic child and his quest to investigate the death of a neighboring dog. On the way, he finds out much more than he was expecting to, about himself, his family, and yes, his neighbor's dog.

The introduction says that Haddon worked with autistic individuals as a young man, and his skill in depicting Christopher's approach to the world testifies to that. Christopher's quest is one of determination, curiosity, and intelligence, that is thoughtful, intriguing, and often hilarious. It is a very enjoyable and quick read, but still a substantive story. As I write this review that I have left sitting half-finished for months, it in some ways reminds me of the book I just finished, [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165446871s/4588.jpg|1940137]. It is lighter, shorter, less ambitious and less complex, but these are not slights on the former book at all, but rather admissions to the excellence of the latter.

The Curious Incident is similarly crafted, and tells a good story well. It is an engaging, intelligent read that is humorous but certainly not trite, and is certainly worth the time it will take you to read through the 221 short pages.