The Republic of Heaven

There was no coat in the night-time... that's what was curious!

In 2, we're told that it was 0007 hrs when Christopher found Wellington kebabbed.

The thought occurs, why was he out then? Quite possible he'd heard [spoiler]Father and Mrs Shears[/spoiler] arguing, but there's no metion of that. More importantly, why was he not wearing a coat?

In 167 I got the impression this was the first time he'd been out at night, and for that reason took two coats. Yet, in all his meticulousness, he did not mention a coat in 2 or at the police station.

PS I haven't got past 173, so please so spoilers.

He says he likes to go outside at night so he can imagine he's the only person in the world.

Anyone care to tell me why I'm reading this book and not Differential Diagnosis in Obstetric and Gynaecologic Ultrasound?

Melancholy Man wrote:Anyone care to tell me why I'm reading this book and not Differential Diagnosis in Obstetric and Gynaecologic Ultrasound?

Because it's a sight more entertaining and probably clinically more accurate?

Just for Rosie's sake. She is more adept at discussing literary narative than I am, so can she start off a point about The Curious Incident?

Because it's a sight more entertaining and probably clinically more accurate?

What it does show you is that, for all the frothings about racial superiority, when you looks at X-rays or other modalities, you see virtually no difference.

Aargh! That's philosophy!

<Hits himself with anti-Rosie mallet>

Ahh I finished that book today, well worth reading.

i started and finished it just last night. good book. does savants go by another name?

jess wrote:i started and finished it just last night. good book. does savants go by another name?

Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. Or so says just about every commentary and criticism I have seen - the book never specifies.

in the publishing info page, it mentions savants..

I think that must be your edition Jess. My publishing information page just has the usual publishing information. There's a dedication:

This book
is dedicated to
Sos
[Mark Haddon's wife, who I believe was seriously injured in a car accident shortly before publication]


With thanks to
Kathryn Heyman, Clare Alexander,
Kate Shaw and Dave Cohen
[who, I've assumed, furnished medical and other advice]

Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. Or so says just about every commentary and criticism I have seen - the book never specifies.

I started reading it thinking that Asperger's was a mild form of autism, maybe a slight problem with empathy. Christopher, however, seems to be a class act.

our token russian math genius at school has asperger's. he's a cool kid, but hard to get to know...

i liked the way it was narrated... very direct thoughts.

i'll type in the publishing info later, when i get my book back.

Melancholy Man wrote:

Christopher has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. Or so says just about every commentary and criticism I have seen - the book never specifies.

I started reading it thinking that Asperger's was a mild form of autism, maybe a slight problem with empathy. Christopher, however, seems to be a class act.

I think it can be mild; my friend's brother has it, and he doesn't seem autistic at all (though he is bipolar as well). Also, a kid I'm semi-friends with has it, and I never would have guessed...he's also, coincidentally, a math genius type...

Kathryn Heyman

Yay for Kathryns!

I very much enjoyed the narration - I thought apart from anything else the device was a great way of making dry, funny observations. I think Asperger's is fairly common - the brother of my friend has it mildly, I believe.

The way he describes all the arguements around him in such a blase way, its so direct and clever

I just hate the way he keeps saying 'doing sex'.

Really? I like it. It makes it sound more....dirty

I helped out at yesterday's book events for the Brighton festival (I had a twelve-hour shift and then went babysitting... but that's a different story) and one of our guests was Mark Haddon. The event had sold out (but I was getting payed to stand there and listen) and very interesting.

Let's see what I can remember... he said that although Asperger's is obviously very important to the book, he ishes people would get over it a bit. He said he thought that having a disability was a bit like coming from Belgium - in a way it defines you, but in a nother way it really doesn't.

He said the maths in the book came from his own obsession with maths, and was also partly based on a lecturer friend of his (he said a lot of Christopher was based on people he knew) and that this friend had read the book and said, 'This isn't really about autism, is it? It's about someone who is really good at maths and has behavioural issues...'

He said he's writing a new book called 'Blood and Scissors', but that he doesn't think he'll write about Christopher again.

He said writing in that voice for months was incredibly good discipline for a writer.

Hm, I don't remember much else - unfortunately it was the one point in the day we were free to get some lunch, so I missed half an hour.

Anyway, we also had Berlie Doherty, Sarah Waters, and the guys (I forget their names) who wrote the EDGE chronicles. Some woman calle Trezza Azorapardi, the man who wrote Number9dream (David something) and Nicky Singer. It was very interesting listening through the day and hearing what various writers had to say. The fantasy writers slagged off 'stark realism' and the realistic writers slagged off 'fantastical nonsense'... fun was had by all.

re: belgium... the girl just came back from her exchange in france (nice to be exact). apparently french people make fun of belgiu, the way others might make fun of the southern states. that ammused me. also, french fries are from belgium. french braids are african.

[edit] and to get away from that little bit of hijacking...

yea, it didn't seem to be about aspergers... it started off as a murder mystery and led to the discovery that

[spoiler]his mother was still alive,[/spoiler]
all narrated very directly.

re: belgium... the girl just came back from her exchange in france (nice to be exact). apparently french people make fun of belgiu, the way others might make fun of the southern states. that ammused me. also, french fries are from belgium. french braids are african.

What about the fact that both Tintin and George Simenon are Belgian? The French don't like that up 'em.