NOVEL REPORT

Things to consider in preparing for your novel seminar:

1. Briefly summarise the plot of the story.

Christopher wants to write a different novel: he looks for something original, something that we don’t get used to read. He decides to talk about a murderer’s dog. One day, he founds a friend’s dog dead in the garden near his house. Because of this incident, he tries to find out who was murdered the dog. While he was investigating he found a lot of things very important to his life: his mother’s letters. After that, there are two mysteries instead of one: he has to find out if his mother is alive and where she is.

One day, his father confesses to be the murdered of the bloody dog, and Chris feels a lot of fear of him, so he decides to travel to London for looking for his mother (who was alive).

Finally, he find his mother and a new life starts: He could live with both, father and mother (although in different houses) and a new dog!

2. Describe the main characters. What kind of people are they? Use examples from the story to show what you mean.

Christopher: He’s the boy who wrote the story, He’s intelligent. He likes maths, science and he has a photographic memory. The novel show this in a lot of chapters when he solves maths problems and talks about science. He likes to solve all the problems,

Wellington: The dog that appeared dead at the beginning of the story.

Father: He is patient with his son, he wants the best for his education. But I think he loses the control sometimes, for example, when he killed the dog. He’s very resentful with his ex-wife so much so that he lies his son saying his mother died.

Mother: She is impatient, she likes to live happy without problems and I think she’s a little coward for not facing her life’s problems and she doesn’t want to solve the problems with her family. But she was worried about his son when she was away so he’s a good mother, really.

Mrs Shears (a neighbour): She was a neighbour. She is friendly because she helped to Christopher’s father with the house when his wife left him.

Mr Shears: He was a neighbour. Now he is her mother’s boyfriend. He’s rude because he didn’t respect the love that a mother has for his son. He wanted to live with his girlfriend but without his child.

Siobhan she’s Christopher’s teacher. She advise Christopher how to write the book. She’s blond and wear glasses. She’s very friendly and attentive because she’s always worried about Christopher. When Christopher show her the book, she reads it and correct it; when she saw a bruise on the Chris’s face, she ask him what was happened, how he did it and why.

Mrs Alexander: She is the old lady from number 39. She is important in this story because she told Christopher about the relationship between his mother and Mr Shears. She’s a little gossip, because she knows all that happened in the neighbourhood. The novel show that when she talks to Christopher.

3. What is the main conflict of the novel? How is it resolved?

The main conflict is the mother’s death. Firstly, I thought it was the dog’s death, but when the novel goes by, I think the most important conflict is the mother’s death because Christopher found proofs that show she’s alive. The objective is to find her, and he travels alone to London where she lives. Finally he founds her, and their parents have to solve the problems of the family. It’s a happy ending because he can share the new life with his mother and his father.

4. Are there any interesting sub-plots (minor conflicts)? Briefly summarise them.

Yes. The investigation of the murderer’s dog. Christopher wants to find who was the guilty and investigate to the neighbourhood. His father was the person who killed the dog as he said in an argument with his son.

The relationship between his mother and Mr Shears. Christopher didn’t know anything about it, but Mrs Alexander told him. At the end, when he found his mother, he checks that is true: his mother is living with him and she left his father to go out with Mr Shears.

5. Where or when is the novel set? Does it affect the story? If so, how? If not, why not?

The novel set in a neighbourhood of houses in Swidon , England. The descriptions of the houses, the gardens, the district, the way to the shop... they show an atmosphere typical of England. Chris doesn’t use to go alone anywhere, even his village. The trip to London was a dangerous adventure for him.

6. What do you think was the author’s purpose in writing the novel?

I think the author wants to show the reaction of a boy to the stupid things of the adults. The boy is always thinking about logical things: he compares the real life with the science or with maths and he doesn’t understand the feelings of the human beings. We can read an adult history in another side: the thinkings of a boy. That’s why is original.

7. Often the title of a short story or novel points to a theme. What do you think the title of this novel means?

The title of the novel is “The curious incident of the dog in the night-time”. It not only reflects the incident of the dog that we can read at the beginning, but all the conflicts that happened after this incident. This event is the cause of all the thinkings, all the problems and the solutions we can read in the history. The title shows that is a mystery novel too.

8. Comment on the author’s writing style. Did you like it? Why? Why not?

I think the writing style is innovative and original. It makes an easy lecture so all people can read this book. I like it because it is written by a boy and all the lectors can identify with him.

9. How did you react to the novel? Why?

I was expecting all the time what will happened at the end. I think it’s an interesting and original novel because it shows the private thinkings of a boy and how he looks the world. Sometimes I was surprised because I didn’t expect the reaction of the characters.

10. Add anything else you want to comment on.

After reading the book, I understand why they have so good critics and why it’s the winner book of the year. It’s original and people of all the ages can read it. The history is nice too, and very interesting. It’s one of those books that makes the reader feel something. I really like it.