Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time primarily takes place in the blue-collar suburb of Swindon in southwest England. The house where Christopher lives is a typical middle-class suburban home in a quiet street, with a garden that allows Christopher to spend time outside. He spends time there watching the stars and observing nature and is safe enough that he can take walks around the neighbourhood, often very late at night. Christopher attends a local special school, a school explicitly designed to support students with intellectual disabilities, mental health disorders or autism spectrum disorders and students with learning difficulties or behavioural disorders.

Christopher lives in Swindon with his father, who has told Christopher that his mother has passed away. The single parent family setting is stable enough until the incident with the dead dog leads to its unravelling. Christopher’s father has learned how to best deal with Christopher’s autism, allowing him to eat special coloured foods or touching fingers in replacement of a hug.

As the story progresses, Christopher learns that his mother is alive and living in London. This creates two further settings for the novel: the train, and the house in London.

Swindon hosts the Museum of the Great Western Railway, set in a restored station, and as such has ties to rail transport. It is from Swindon that Christopher takes the 100 kilometre journey to London. This should only take about an hour but navigating the rail network and the social situations is difficult for Christopher and he takes all day to make the trip. The incredible noise of a train in the tube, the myriad of platforms and the bustling crowds are nearly too much for him. However it is in this setting, which simulates the trial of a young man’s journey into adulthood, that Christopher’s logic and eccentricities help him survive.

The house in London is not suitable for Christopher and he soon finds himself at odds with his mother’s new boyfriend and the business of the city. Consequentially, Christopher’s mother decides to return to Swindon, a quieter place, and more suited to Christopher’s special needs.