Danny: TCIotDitN

            After some thought, I think I would like to approach this novel from a different point a view, much how Christopher has a different point of view on his mentality and thought process. Instead of focusing on the content itself, I would like to take a look at the structure of the book and how it impacts us as the reader!

            When I cracked open this book for the first time and saw that ‘Chapter One’ was labelled ‘2,’ I expressed immediate concern, thinking that my copy of the novel had been damaged and the entire first chapter was stolen from me. I actually questioned this until I flipped through the book and realized that the chapters were not in the logical order that I was used to. At first, I was confused, but relieved to have all the pages. However, I now realize that this minute detail serves to be very important!

Without even reading the first word of the book, I was brought into Christopher’s mindset. Christopher tells us pages after the fact, saying, “Chapters in books are usually given the cardinal numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and so on. But I have decided to give my chapters prime numbers 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 and so on because I like prime numbers” (11). He doesn’t even have a reason behind it, beyond that he simply likes prime numbers. I had no reason to argue, as this was his mystery novel, but it was a curious piece of information that I seemed to hold onto.

Another interesting writing style is how Christopher writes dialogue. Instead of using descriptive ways that people can speak, he states it matter-of-factly. Along with this, the conversations are direct, unlike his paragraphs of memorized information. One conversation reads:

“‘Why were you holding the dog?’ he asked again.

‘I like dogs,’ I said.

‘Did you kill the dog?’ he asked.

I said, ‘I did not kill the dog.’

‘Is this your fork?’ he asked.

I said, ‘No’” (7).

            This conversation shows that Christopher has a deep affinity for time and chronologizing information linearly (fancy talk translation: Christopher likes timelines). Which is echoed later on, which he says, “And I like timetables because I like to know when everything is going to happen” (155). Christopher even explains why he feels he needs time, saying, “And so, if you get lost in time it is like being lost in a desert, except that you can’t see the desert because it is not a thing. And this is why I like timetables, because they make sure you don’t get lost in time” (158).

            Finally, there is Christopher’s lengthy and drawn out description of things around him. This is easily explained by his placement on the autistic spectrum, as he is sensory sensitive. However, I believe the best example of this can be seen on page 171, where Christopher watches people buying tickets and memorizes which buttons to press. Instead of handling the problem he faces in some clear fashion, such as asking someone for help or testing the process for himself. Instead he watches others, as if it were experiment trials, before attempting it for himself.

            All in all, I think the literary style is extremely reflective of Christopher’s own mindset. We get to see into the mind of someone on the autistic spectrum and what their entire thought process is. With Christopher writing down this entire story, we are able to see into his mind and thinking as he would. If Haddon had simply written this novel from another perspective, would it have been nearly as effective? I think not.