''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress'' is a 2006 novel by Irish journalist and author Paul Howard, and the fifth in the

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is a satirical fictional Irish character, a wealthy South County Dublin rugby union jock created by journalist Paul Howard. The character first appeared in a January 1998 column in the ''Sunday Tribune'' newspaper and late ...

series. The title is an allusion to the

Mark Haddon Mark Haddon (born 28 October 1962) is an English novelist, best known for '' The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' (2003). He won the Whitbread Award, the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award, Guardian Prize, and a Commonwealth W ...

novel ''

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' is a 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 titular "dog" being Ronan's mother, Tina Masters.

Plot

Ross deals with the fallout from the discovery of his seven-year-old son, a working-class Northsider named Ronan. His father Charles stands for election to

Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Dhún Laoghaire–Ráth an Dúin) is the authority responsible for local government in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that s ...

Reception

Blogger Scéal Milis noted this book as the turning point in the Ross saga: "Perhaps the greatest evolution in Ross's personality comes after he discovers at the end of '' PS, I Scored the Bridesmaids'' that he had unknowingly fathered a son from the working class Northside years earlier. In his relationship with son Ronan, and later his children with Sorcha, Ross probably exhibits his most endearing characteristics and, despite his general incompetence and irresponsible behaviour, proves himself to be surprisingly good father."

Declan Lynch Declan Lynch (born 1961) is an Irish journalist, writer and playwright. Lynch was born in Athlone, Ireland, and now works for the ''Sunday Independent''. Lynch graduated from Marist College secondary school in 1978. He dropped out of law school ...

called ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress'' a "literary triumph" and "hilarious" in the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'', noting that many shops were displaying the book next to rugby player

Brian O'Driscoll Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the ...

's ''A Year In The Centre''. The ''Irish Independent'''s "PS" column wrote that it "manages not only to be side splittingly funny but also the most accurate and vicious satire on the loathsome, vacuous pond life who make up so much of

Dublin 4 Dublin 4, also rendered as D4 and D04, is a historic postal district of Dublin, Ireland including Baggot Street Upper, the southernmost fringes of the Dublin Docklands, and the suburbs of Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Irishtown, Merrion, Ringsend ...

." In ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'', Thomas Cooney wrote that "While the joke may not be as fresh as it once was, it still possesses enough punch to elicit a laugh-out-loud response," and that "For those on the outside there is plenty to laugh at, while for those finding themselves relating to and recognising much of Ross's existence, the book takes on a worrying meaning all of its own." Ross's popularity at the time of ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress'''s release led to a "shrine" in his honour being erected in the VIP area of 21, a new

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

D'Olier Street D'Olier Street ( ) is a street in the southern city-centre of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It and Westmoreland Street are two broad streets whose northern ends meet at the southern end of O'Connell Bridge over the River Liffey. Its southern ...

, Dublin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nightdress 2006 Irish novels Penguin Books books Ross O'Carroll-Kelly Fiction set in 2004 Fiction set in 2005