PINCKNEY, MI–The DIO Dinner & Entertainment theatre here opens The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time this weekend.

The play is based on the 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. Its title refers to an observation by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes (created by Arthur Conan Doyle) in the 1892 short story “The Adventure of Silver Blaze“. Haddon and The Curious Incident won the Whitbread Book Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book,^[3] and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.

The novel is narrated in the first-person perspective by Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy who is described as “a mathematician with some behavioral difficulties” living in Swindon, Wiltshire. Although Christopher’s condition is not stated, the book’s blurb refers to Asperger syndrome (which today would be described as an autism spectrum disorder), high-functioning autism, or savant syndrome.

One day, the boy discovers the dead body of the neighbour’s dog, Wellington, speared by a garden fork. Mrs. Shears, the dog’s owner, calls the police, and Christopher comes under suspicion. He is arrested, then released with a police caution. He decides to investigate the dog’s death.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time has frequently been challenged due to salty language and being thought of by some special interest groups as unsuited for some young audiences. On the American Library Association’s lists of the most banned and challenged books–by conservative Republican groups, the book landed the 51st spot between 2010 and 2019, as well as the fifth spot in 2015.

These challenges are politically motivated and are without merit.

A reviewer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that the story is “a touching evolution, one that Haddon scripts with tenderness and care… a unique window into the mind of a boy who thinks a little differently, but like many kids his age, doesn’t quite know how to feel.” In 2019, the book was ranked 19th on The Guardian‘s list of the 100 best books of the 21st century.

The play runs at the DIO June 11 through July 17^th. Tickets include dinner. Go to The Dio’s website here to look at menu and buy advanced tickets.