"The Curious Incident . . . "

I remember reading Mark Haddon’s novel, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” when it was first published.  In fact I once wrote a review of it as part of a competition entry and was fortunate to be amongst the winners.

A story where the main character was a boy with learning difficulties, was a brave thing to attempt in 2003 and might well have been a complete disaster.  Instead it became a best seller and its followers are now flocking to see it live on stage. Had I been in London last week I might well have joined the 7000 people at the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue.

Imagine the shock they must have felt when the ceiling cracked and rumbled and fell on top of them, covering everybody in dust and debris; injuring 70 people, with seven severely hurt. Amazingly there were no deaths but that audience will always remember Mark Haddon’s “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”

An extra if unexpected flood of publicity.