The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Fifteen-year-old Christopher finds the murdered Wellington, the neighbour’s dog. The murder upsets him terribly, so he decides to track down the perpetrator and write a detective story about this curious case. His investigation encounters resistance from his neighbours, but his father Ed opposes him the most. Christopher doesn’t give up and gradually a story of hidden family secrets begins to unravel. His approach to the case, his unusual behaviour and the way of thinking clearly show that Christopher is highly intelligent, practically a mathematical genius, but he is on the autistic spectrum, with a condition called Asperger Syndrome which is an obstacle for him primarily in communication and in controlling impulsive reactions. But this very trait allows us to see life, through his observation and understanding of situations and relationships, differently than we’re used to experiencing it otherwise.

Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (2003), written as Christopher’s first-person narrative, was published as a mystery novel for adults and young adults. In the year of its publication it won several prestigious awards, including the Whitbread Book of the Year Award (in the category of novels for adults), the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for the Best First Book and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. It is a popular novel for Slovenian young adults and adults alike.

Simon Stephens adapted the novel for the stage of the Royal National Theatre. The baptismal performance won an unprecedented seven Olivier Awards, among them the Olivier for the best new play (2013). Numerous stagings around the world followed, and in this season two Slovenian too. The co-production of SNG Nova Gorica and Koper Theatre was directed by Renata Vidič.