First Words

I’ve started a new book. Care to guess what it is from the opening lines? The answer after the break.

It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs. Shears’s house. Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it was running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they are chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead.

— From The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Just a few pages into this book, I was hooked by its unique style and narrative voice, that of a 15-year-old autistic boy. I can tell already this is going to be one of those books that gets lots of comments from people who see me with it.

While the striking cover art had caught my eye many times in the bookstore, I just wasn’t getting around to reading it. That was until someone I used to work with told me that I had to read it because the main character so, so, so reminded him of our former boss. (Yeah, a 15-year-old autistic boy, but that’s a whole ‘nother story, for another blog.) I was intrigued by his comment. The book became a must read, and so I am. I’d have to say I’m not seeing the resemblance yet, but I’m only 20 pages in.