The momentous leap of Mark Haddon Narrative for adults had its particular notoriety in that magical novel about an incidental case involving his dog at midnight, destroying "a little" the title of his emblematic work.
But the question is to stay, beyond the commercial coups of the type John boyne and his striped pajamas or yann martin with his life of Pi. And I quote Boyne or Martel because they both share that arrival to the bestseller from the fantastic, the allegorical, the revision of the world's drama from a childhood capable of transforming everything with its magical subjectivity.
In that, Haddon is also a teacher, more seasoned even than those mentioned above because he carried or carries, because certain things are never abandoned, a considerable career in children's fiction.
Therein lies the trick of this kind of universal books in the wake of the little Prince in its multiple possibilities of adaptation to more adult reading. Awakening our inner child to redeem ourselves during the time we read at least, since in almost everything else we end up failing. A reconciliation by Haddon takes as its main narrative horizon.
Top 3 Recommended Books by Mark Haddon
The curious incident of the dog at midnight
As the years go by, we lose our vision but not our sight. As we get older we focus on aspects that run parallel to the horizon, moving away from the essential light. And the arduous task of relocation can only be borne by the advice of the psychiatrist or the inner voice.
The protagonist of this story, Christopher Boone, is one of the most original to have emerged on the international narrative scene in recent years, and is destined to become a universal literary hero of the stature of Oliver Twist and Holden Caulfield.
At fifteen, Christopher knows the capitals of all the countries in the world, he can explain the theory of relativity and recite prime numbers up to 7.507, but he has trouble relating to other human beings. He likes lists, schemes, and the truth, but he hates yellow, brown, and physical contact. Although he has never gone alone beyond the corner store, the night a neighbor's dog appears crossed by a pitchfork, Christopher decides to start the search for the culprit.
Emulating his admired Sherlock Holmes -the model detective obsessed with the analysis of the facts-, his investigations will lead him to question the common sense of the adults around him and reveal some family secrets that will turn his orderly and safe world upside down.
The dolphin
Nothing new under the sun, King Solomon announced, and the phrase was recorded as a sign of a cyclical human future, like the twists and turns in suspension through the universe.
It's always good to revisit the classics. And there are those, like Irene Vallejo currently, which is capable of showing us that path in parallel between the remote yesterday and today. There is not so much change in who we essentially are.
In Haddon's case, his intention is to bring us today to Shakespeare So that we can see how that sensation of the tragic, once over-acted, is presented to us today as the most certain thing in an existence scripted from the purest histrionics.
En The dolphin, Mark Haddon has produced a contemporary recreation of one of Shakespeare's lesser-known tragedies, Pericles, prince of Tire, in turn version of the legend of Apollonius of Tire. The classic story narrates the flight of the hero, pursued by King Antiochus, after having revealed the incestuous relationship between the king and his daughter.
With elegant and descriptive prose, Haddon brings this mythological story to the present to reflect on parent-child relationships and the role of women in today's society. A fascinating book, delightful to read, that immerses us in a world of legends and mythology, with stories that open into other stories, linked by a tangle of references perfectly woven by the author's pen.
The sinking of the pier
The short distances, the story, the direct blow on the lowered guard. A good story writer is the fighter who stands in front of you and prepares to fight you in a single round. So much to tell and so short space that the scenes must be direct and the end a total or at least technical ko.
Haddon is a great storyteller for kids and teens. And that also helps yours because it is the little ones who most enjoy a short literature, at least until they are older.
This volume is as brief as it is intense, as transcendent as it is light in its representation of each narrative. That is the magic of the good storyteller, the storyteller, the former troubadour capable of deceiving with a simple dress that ends up moving to the most elegant and existential of stories.
The nine stories in this lyrical and powerful collection delve into various territories (classical adventure, science fiction, allegorical tale or ruthless realism), but Haddon displays in all of them his unmatched stylistic prowess and that empathy that has bewitched the readers of his novels.
The end result is a fascinating reflection on the human condition, the loneliness that traps us and the bonds that, despite everything, continue to bind human beings. Those who enjoyed "The Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight" will find the best Haddon here.
