Review of The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project

By: Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Project is a unique, cute, romantic comedy about a Genetics Professor, Don Tillman, with Asperger’s Syndrome, who is trying to find the perfect wife.   Don has specific criteria and creates a questionnaire for the women he meets.  He wants a non-smoker, non-vegetarian, and a moderate drinker. He also has questions about her habits and her physical appearance on the questionnaire.  In comes Rosie.  Rosie is a smoker, not very punctual, and a vegetarian proving to be an unsuitable partner.  But Rosie needs Don for his knowledge of genetics, because she is looking for her biological father, and Don can help her with the DNA testing.  This begins an experience that leaves a unique impression on Don Tillman that he’ll never forget.

The Rosie Project is a fast paced and an entertaining read.  The chapters were only a few pages each and like most romantic comedy novels the writing style is not overly descriptive. Since the protagonist has Asperger’s the writing also involves listing things and explaining things in a logical fashion.  It is also written very simply and not too descriptive.   Most of the characters are typical characters in a romantic comedy.  There’s the ladies=man, the female character that puts up with her husband’s “flirtatious” behavior, and a free-spirited love interest that has a completely opposite personality of the male protagonist.  The male protagonist, Don Tillman, is different from most romantic leads, because he has Asperger’s syndrome without being aware of it.   Asperger’s means Don is more logical in his thinking, does not understand social cues, takes almost everything that is said literally, at times seems self -absorbed, and struggles with having empathy.  This is makes the romance between Don and Rosie more complex and adds a layer to the story.  The author demonstrates a good understanding of Asperger’s Syndrome, and having a main character with this syndrome, not only allows for something different, but also assures readers that there is hope for those with this Syndrome at finding love.   I rate this an A