Narrators - 2017

Today, I am asking my students to reflect on their favorite narration to help prepare for when we start to read Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain this weekend. It's a great family story, but it is unique in the sense that it is told from the point of view of the family dog. Their favorite narrator can be a first person narrator that is a character in the novel, or it can just be a novel whose third person perspective is unique or clever.

1. Who is your favorite narrator? What is your favorite narration?
2. Tell readers about the novel and the narration.
3. Why is this your favorite? Why might others appreciate it as well?

One of my favorite narrators is Christopher Francis Boone from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Christopher is an autistic 15-year-old boy living in Swindon (England) with his father. The novel starts with Christopher discovering the dead dog of his neighbor. Being unable to properly communicate with the police at the scene, Christopher becomes a suspect, which is made worse when he is arrested for assaulting one of the officers. No one really understands him except for his father, and maybe the readers. Christopher sets out to solve the mystery of the dead dog, uncovering secrets of the neighborhood and his past as he does.

I really enjoy Christopher's narration because to the best of my knowledge Mark Haddon has perfectly captured the inner mind of an individual with autism. I was fascinated to see his thinking, from counting the colors of cars to his intense reactions to lights and sounds. Getting into the head of this character makes you empathize with him, and you feel even more proud of the obstacles Christopher overcomes that may seem like nothing to you or me. Christopher is truly an original gem that readers will enjoy.

This novel was turned into a play that premiered in England in 2012 and made its way to Broadway in 2014, where it won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play and the actor playing Christopher won for Best Actor as well. Last year, I was able to see a performance in Detroit while it was on tour. The play was simply fantastic. If you think a novel getting into the head of an autistic teenager is cool, just wait until you see how it happens on stage.

To read about my previously selected narrators, click the images.