The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Out of all the books in the stack that my mother loaned to me, the one that I thought I'd like the least was The Rosie Project. I don't read a lot of romance in general, and definitely not modern romantic comedies. She took the time to recommend it to me though, so I felt honor-bound to give it a shot. Imagine my surprise when I ended up loving it.

The plot concerns Don Tillman, genetics professor with quite the quirky personality. He has Aspergers Syndrome, and he lives a life ruled by strict routines based on his incredible intelligence and logic. His skills have led him to become very successful professionally, but he has had less luck socially. He decides that he most efficient way to find a suitable romantic partner would be to create a questionnaire designed to weed out incompatible women and match him up with the ideal person for him.

His questionnaire brings a young PhD student named Rosie Jarman into his world. He immediately disqualifies her as a potential partner, but becomes interested in her personal project of trying to discover her birth father. Strangely drawn to Rosie's unpredictable and carefree ways, Don decides to use his genetics lab to try and help her figure out who her father is. As they work together more and more on this project, Don begins to realize that his interest in Rosie goes far beyond genetic testing, and he is forced to reconsider some of his preconceived notions about love, relationships, and himself.

This story was absolutely charming from top to bottom, and unlike any other romance I have read. Being written from the male perspective was one element that made it stand out, but Don's personality was its most unique aspect. His character is a bit similar to Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, but without the snark and pop culture obsessions. Being inside his head was both funny and a challenge, as you had to take his interpretations of various situations and figure out what social cues he was missing. Don's brain gets him into all sorts of situations--some are humorous, some are completely embarrassing, and some are pretty sad. It all felt genuine. I was completely engaged in the story from page one and was rooting for him to succeed.

Rosie, on the other hand, was less of an interesting character. Her personality, while fun and socially competent, was a bit flat. She had some emotional issues that made her somewhat frustrating to read too. She could be flighty and judgemental at times, and I felt like her interpretations of her stepfather's actions were quite immature. However, Don's character is so enjoyable that he largely made up for Rosie's drawbacks. I believe that Simsion was probably going for a whole "two damaged people meet and help each other" type of narrative, so I didn't let my dislike of Rosie bother me too much.

As far as romances go, this novel is about as PG as it gets. While I loved the overall story and Don's character, I did wish there had been a bit more chemistry between the leads. As Aspergers is a major factor in the romance, however, I understand why the spark was absent. Truthfully, this story is just as much about personal discovery as it is about love. While it is a romance, the relationship is only one part of Don's development. Watching him open himself up to new experiences and grow as a person was a treat.

So, I have to admit, mom was definitely right on this one. The Rosie Project is pure joy to read and is an easy book to recommend to pretty much everyone. It's a very different kind of romance, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's loving without being sappy, unique without trying too hard, and happy without being vapid. It's nice when a story can surprise you, and it's doubly nice when that surprise is so sweet.


Challenge Tally:
Clear the Shelves 2018: 3 books donated

Total Books Read in 2018:7