For those of you who worry that books that are 'quirky', 'unusual' or 'not commercial' don't get published in today's cynical, money driven world, take heart in Mark Haddon's success.

I was delighted to read he's won the Whitbread award for 'the curious incident of the dog in the night time' (see the news section on WW)
I loved reading it, and recommend it to anyone and everyone. As a pitch - it's about an autisitc boy investigating the death of his neighbour's dog - it sounds far too 'quirky' for some. But within one page you'll be utterly seduced by the narrator. I found it fascinating to follow a story from the point of view of someone who doesn't understand what 'happy' means, and who can't read people's facial expressions. For someone who doesn't seem to have a concept of 'emotion', the book's full of it.

So you see; we aren't a bad lot. Occasionally we do go for something that isn't written by a Big Brother contestant or serialised in the Daily Mail.
Katie

Anna Reynolds in "Got there first" shocker

Ah - she's always one step ahead.....

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Perhaps the two forum's can be merged? Or are there several more scattered around the site...?

No, this is it for the Curious Dog I think. Thanks IB, I try. Yes, isn't it great- and he sounds so modest too, I loved that line about thinking he would be seen as a insane person shouting in the street. Hope for us all, indication of a slight wind of change do we think? even if that translates as cynical publishers realise there's lot of money sometimes in these oddball books.

i guess not as coincidental as many things but I am at present following an arts in the community course and one book which we have been advised o rad is this one as our tutor considers it gives a wonderful insight into the world of autism

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sorry about the typos

should have course have read

to read

That's exactly what I found so fascinating about it Olebut. It is a great insight into how those with autism simply don't see the world the same way we do. I wonder whether the on-going debate about autism and mmr has also contributed to its success. Autism is suddenly a condition that people are seeing discussed everywhere and dramatised and so on, so it's a topical subject too.

Well I'm buying a book tonight so it might just be that one. Cool and ta very much