
Synopsis: This is the story of crumbling families, autism, murdered dogs, and, well, math. It's narrated by Christopher, a 15-year-old boy with autism. During one of his nightly strolls through the neighborhood, he discovers that a neighbor's dog has been savagely murdered. He decides to do detective work and uncover the murderer. Along the way, he must deal with his shaky familial relationships, while trying to understand the world he lives in but into which he doesn't quite fit.
The Good: This was a great book overall. I really liked the narrator, his tone, and his choice of subject matter. It flows really well and is written so convincingly I had to verify that the author was not, in fact, autistic. The book is funny without trying to be, but also sad and almost full of despair at times. It's not a happy subject, it doesn't follow a formulaic, fairy-tale plot, and it remains realistic to the end. However, it manages to be inspirational.
The Bad: I couldn't really think of anything bad, per se. Just more of an overall grayness to the book. It left me feeling kind of "blah". It was a great book but not fantastic...although I'm not really sure what could have been done differently. Making the characters more likeable wouldn't have worked, because they aren't meant to be likeable. To make the ending better wouldn't have been as realistic.
The Good: This was a great book overall. I really liked the narrator, his tone, and his choice of subject matter. It flows really well and is written so convincingly I had to verify that the author was not, in fact, autistic. The book is funny without trying to be, but also sad and almost full of despair at times. It's not a happy subject, it doesn't follow a formulaic, fairy-tale plot, and it remains realistic to the end. However, it manages to be inspirational.
The Bad: I couldn't really think of anything bad, per se. Just more of an overall grayness to the book. It left me feeling kind of "blah". It was a great book but not fantastic...although I'm not really sure what could have been done differently. Making the characters more likeable wouldn't have worked, because they aren't meant to be likeable. To make the ending better wouldn't have been as realistic.








