Chapter 59

How does Christopher justify his investigation into how Wellington died, even though his father has told
him to stay out of other people’s business?
What character qualities does Christopher have that would make him a good detective?

Chapter 67
Why doesn’t Christopher like chatting?
How does Christopher work out who his prime suspect is?

Chapter 83
What makes Christopher think he would make a good astronaut? Do you agree that he would qualify?
Why?
What does Christopher discover about Mr Shears, from Mrs Alexander?

Chapter 101
How is Mr Jeavons wrong about Christopher’s love of maths?

Chapter 107
Rephrase the quotation from the ancient scroll in The Hound of the Baskervilles so that it would be
easily understood by a modern reader.
What qualities does Christopher admire in Sherlock Holmes?

Chapter 139
What’s the meaning and the orgins of the phrase Occam’s Razor?

Chapter 157
What insights do Christopher’s mother’s letters give us into family life with Christopher? How does the
picture we’ve had so far change? What new elements are there, in terms of mood and situation?

Chapter 163
Explain how Christopher thinks the human brain is just like a computer.

Chapters 191 – 193 – 197

What are some of the ways Christopher finds to cope with the new and frightening situations he finds
himself in?

Chapter 229
What is shocking or surprising about Christopher’s favourite dream? What is understandable about his
dream?

Full book
Is there any evidence in the novel that he experiences a sense of attachment to other people? Support
your answer.
Does Christopher seem to suffer from his mental and emotional isolation, or does he seem to enjoy it?
Give examples.
Christopher has achieved many things by the end of the novel; how are ambition and achievement
shown in this novel, and how is success measured?
Describe the relationship between father and son in the novel. How well do you think Christopher's
father copes with his son's condition? Explain.
What challenges does The Curious Incident present to the ways we usually think and talk about
characters in novels? How does it force us to reexamine our normal ideas about love and desire, which
are often the driving forces in fiction? Since Mark Haddon has chosen to make us see the world through
Christopher's eyes, what does he help us discover about ourselves?

Christopher provides insight into his behavior on p. 7 when he begins to press his forehead on the
ground, ignoring the policeman. However, the policeman does not have the vantage point that we have.
If we were ignorant about Christopher in the way that the policeman is, what would we think of
Christopher? If the policeman had known what we know about this narrator, how might he have
approached Christopher differently?

One of the unusual aspects of the novel is its inclusion of many maps and diagrams. How effective are
these in helping the reader see the world through Christopher's eyes? Explain.

Does Christopher seem to suffer from his mental and emotional isolation, or does he seem to enjoy it?
Give examples.

What is the effect of reading the letters Christopher’s mother wrote to him? Was his mother justified in
leaving? Does Christopher really understand her apology and her attempt to explain herself? Does he
have strong feelings about the loss of his mother? Which of his parents is better suited to taking care of
him?

Christopher’s father confesses to killing Wellington in a moment of rage at Mrs. Shears and swears to
Christopher that he won’t lie to him ever again but Christopher is afraid of his father. Why is
Christopher’s world shattered by this realization? Is it likely that he will ever learn to trust his father
again?