Mark Haddon Reveals Childhood Trauma
The author of *The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time* shares a moving account of childhood neglect and family trauma in his new memoir, including how his mother never hugged him and her cruel response when his sister got meningitis. Haddon explores how these experiences shaped his writing career.
Haddon's new memoir is titled *Leaving Home: A Memoir in Full Colour* and was released on February 5, 2026. The book is lavishly illustrated with Haddon's own drawings, photographs, and old maps, which serve to depict not only his memories but also his state of mind. The author delves into a childhood in 1960s Northampton that he describes as loveless and emotionally distant. His father was an architect who designed abattoirs, and Haddon recalls that his and his sister's juvenile drawings were often done on the back of old plans for killing rooms. His mother, who he says stayed in bed until the children left for school, once had his father tell him she was "crying herself to sleep" after Haddon mentioned being an "anxious and depressed child" in an interview. The memoir reveals that Haddon has struggled with his mental health into adulthood, including two nervous breakdowns and instances of self-harm that required hospital visits. He also describes having a fear of flying, an experience that informed the fatal air crash at the beginning of his 2019 novel, *The Porpoise*. Before his literary success, Haddon worked jobs that included caring for people with multiple sclerosis and autism, experiences that would later influence his writing. He also had a career as a magazine illustrator and has illustrated many of his own children's books. Haddon's other works for adults include the novels *A Spot of Bother* and *The Red House*, as well as short story collections like *The Pier Falls*. He has also written numerous books for children, starting with *Gilbert's Gobstopper* in 1987. In 2023, Haddon turned down an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to literature. He stated he would feel "uneasy accepting an honour which presumes an uncritical acceptance of the British Empire as a good thing."
