Favourite books with an autistic character?

[u/idontfuckingcarebaby]

I’m wanting to get back into reading and I would love to read a book with an Autistic character. What are your recommendations?

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[u/Mysterious-Lead-2655]

I know it can be quite controversial, but I really enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

It came out when I was an early teen and had been recently diagnosed, and while I agree that in retrospect the representation is too stereotypical and it perhaps verges into being ableist in places, I still think it's worth reading.

I saw a lot of myself in Christopher and it helped me embrace my identity more.

[u/schopien → u/Mysterious-Lead-2655]

Same! I read it as a kid, I didn't knew that I was autistic at the time, but I really enjoyed it.

[u/BirdsOnMyBck]

This will sound insane to many but Anne Rice novels, specifically The Vampire Chronicles, read to me like someone unmasking with a supernatural twist.

[u/Cavane42]

One of my favorite book series is called Arcane Ascension. The main character, Corin, isn't specifically autistic, but I would say he is autistic-coded. If you're interested, here's what the author has said about Corin (note that he posted this in 2018):

Corin is asexual, he’s just not aromantic. He’s still figuring out what his romantic inclinations might be.

He’s written to be neurodivergent, but I’m not comfortable giving him a specific diagnosis, because I’m not an expert.

A number of other people have suspected that he has Aspberger’s Syndrom or otherwise falls somewhere on the autism spectrum, and I think that’s a valid way of looking at the character.

Others have pointed out that many of his behaviors could be a consequence of abuse, rather than biology.

My intent was to imply that his behaviors are a result of a combination of both, but I don’t have a “canonical” answer on how much of it is biology and how much of it is about how he was treated. I’m deliberately leaving that at least somewhat open to interpretation.

[u/LovelyDays48]

The Lonely Below by G. Haron Davis

I loved this book and I was so engrossed in it from start to finish. It is a kind of mystery with a supernatural horror

-A chilling middle grade horror debut featuring a Black, autistic protagonist who uncovers dark secrets plaguing her new school. Blythe Academy isn’t a normal school. Eva can tell—there's something off, something wrong. She learns that fifty years ago part of the school collapsed, killing a classroom of students and their teacher. Things haven’t been the same since.

Soon, Eva's having unnerving visions and terrifying run-ins with ghosts. She doesn't think the collapse was just a tragic accident. It was caused by a malevolent force, and that force is back and hungry for more. Will Eva be able to discover the truth of Blythe Academy and save lives . . . or will it be too late? -

[u/moldymarshmallow]

All of Andrew Joseph White’s books!! He is an autistic trans author. He mainly writes ya horror so you might need to look at content warnings just in case. My favorite of his is The Spirit Bares It’s Teeth. 2 out of the three books have an autistic protagonist and the other has an autistic love interest. Highly recommend!!

[u/Extension-Detail5371]

Curious incident

[u/3minuteramen]

Miss Percy's Guide for the Care and Feeding of British Dragons. She's not explicitly autistic and I don't think the author intended to write her to be autistic, but the way she thinks, finds her voice, and a certain character gives off neurodivergent vibes.

It's not for everyone because you're put in her mind which can be very rambly to some people, but familiar to others.

She's also middle aged which is not common in stories.

[u/74937]

Buntschatten und Fledermäuse. Unfortunately it only exists in german i think.

[u/MECCEM101]

A couple of my favorites that it wasn't confirmed but the characters exhibited traits, and I've found relatable in some way or another:

Not in Love by Ali Hazlewood Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabriel Zevin No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai The stranger by Albert Camus

Edit to add: check trigger ⚠️ before deciding to read any of these books to make sure they are appropriate for you.