The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time characters

Also known as Christopher John Francis Boone

First appears in chapter 2

A fifteen-year-old boy in Swindon, England, who narrates the book, which he is writing himself as a kind of detective story. He has a distinctive way of experiencing the world: he is brilliant at mathematics and logic, loves prime numbers (which is why he numbers his chapters with them), and remembers things in extraordinary detail, but he struggles with other people's emotions, dislikes being touched, and is overwhelmed by noise, crowds, and change. He needs order and truth and cannot lie. He knows all the countries of the world and their capitals, and dreams of becoming a scientist. When he discovers a neighbor's dog killed, he decides to investigate and record the case.

Also known as Father

First appears in chapter 2

Christopher's father, who raises him on his own and works maintaining boilers and heating systems. Patient in many ways with his son's needs, he loves Christopher deeply, but he is also tired, quick to anger when pushed, and carrying strains Christopher does not fully see. He is Christopher's main caretaker and the person Christopher relies on, and he tells his son to stop poking into the death of the neighbor's dog.

Also known as Mother

First appears in chapter 3

Christopher's mother. As the book opens, Christopher understands that she died of a heart attack about two years earlier, after a period of illness, and he keeps her in his memory through small moments they shared. His father speaks of her as gone.

First appears in chapter 2

A large black poodle belonging to the Boones' neighbor Mrs. Shears. Christopher finds him dead in her front garden, killed with a garden fork, one night. The dog's death is the mystery Christopher sets out to solve, and the event that sets the whole story in motion.

Also known as Eileen Shears

First appears in chapter 3

A neighbor of the Boones and the owner of the dog Wellington, whom Christopher finds killed. She had been a friend and helper of the family, particularly around the time of difficulty in the Boone household, and she is distraught and angry over the death of her dog.

First appears in chapter 5

A teacher at Christopher's school who understands him better than almost anyone. She helps him interpret people's faces and feelings, advises him on how to behave in confusing social situations, and encourages him to write down his investigation as a book. Her calm, practical guidance is a steadying presence for him throughout.

First appears in chapter 7

Christopher's pet rat, whom he keeps in his room and cares for attentively. Toby is one of the few living things Christopher is easy and affectionate with, and he features in Christopher's daily routine.

First appears in chapter 71

An elderly woman who lives on Christopher's street and takes a gentle interest in him. As Christopher continues his inquiries against his father's wishes, she talks with him about the neighborhood and its past, and about the people the Boones knew, offering him information that complicates the story he has been told about his own family.

Also known as Roger Shears

First appears in chapter 149

The former husband of the Boones' neighbor Mrs. Shears, no longer living on the street. As Christopher uncovers more of the neighborhood's history, Mr. Shears turns out to be connected to the breakup of Christopher's own family and to the changes that have upended the Boone household.