<P> In a critical essay on the novel, Vivienne Muller quotes some praise by experts on disability theory: "In its presentation of Christopher's everyday experiences of the society in which he lives, the narrative offers a rich canvas of experiences for an ethnographic study of this particular cognitive condition, and one which places a positive spin on the syndrome . The reader in this instance acts as ethnographer, invited to see what Mark Osteen claims is a' quality in autistic lives that is valuable in and of itself' (cited in (S .) Adams 2005, p. 1). Along similar lines, (Alex) McClimens writes that Haddon's novel is' an ethnographic delight' and that' Haddon's achievement is to have written a novel that turns on the central character's difference without making that difference a stigmatising characteristic' (2005, p. 24)." Muller adds that the novel "works with a strong sense of the disabled speaking subject, drawing readers into Christopher's cognitive / corporeal space through an incremental layering of his perspectives and reactions...The narrative also bristles with diagrams, maps, drawings, stories, texts that inform Christopher's lexicon for mapping meaning in a world of bewildering signs and sounds ." She also admires such elements as "the digressive stream - of - connectedness - and - disconnectedness way in which Christopher writes and thinks; the obsessive focus on minutiae; his musings about why animals behave the way they do; his quasi philosophizing on death and life and the afterlife; his ambition to be an astronaut ..." </P> <P> In a survey of children's books which "teach about emotional life," Laura Jana wrote, "On the one hand, this is a story of how an undeniably quirky teenage boy clings to order, deals with a family crisis, and tries to make sense of the world as he sees it . But it also provides profound insight into a disorder--autism--that leaves those who have it struggling to perceive even the most basic of human emotions . In so doing, The Curious Incident leaves its readers with a greater appreciation of their own ability to feel, express, and interpret emotions . This mainstream literary success made its way to the top of the New York Times bestseller list for fiction at the same time it was being touted by experts in Asperger's syndrome and autism - spectrum disorder as an unrivaled fictional depiction of the inner workings of an autistic teenage boy ." </P> <P> Christopher often comments on his inability to appreciate some metaphors and similes . He gives as an example a quote that he found in "a proper novel": "I am veined with iron, with silver and with streaks of common mud . I cannot contract into the firm fist which those clench who do not depend on stimulus ." Haddon told Terry Gross, "Funnily enough, it's actually a quote from Virginia Woolf . It's Virginia Woolf on an off day, in the middle, I think, of The Waves . An author whom I love actually, but who sometimes got a little too carried away ." </P> <P> The book was joint winner of the 2004 Boeke Prize, won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year award and sold more than two million copies . Haddon also was one of the winners of the 2004 Alex Awards, which "honor the 10 top adult books with appeal for adolescents ." </P>

What is the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime about