Hello to my readers. And welcome to another book review post. Today I bring to you a book that made me smile (after rolling my eyes multiple times). The book is called The Rosie Project. I purchased this book way back in hard copy. I shifted from Mumbai to Delhi and the book was packed in the book rack, never to see the light of the day till I realized I have 85 unread books (I was crazy enough to count that!)
So finally after more or less 5 years of purchasing the book, I finally managed to read it. This defines my reading life as well. So let us roll with that.
Book Name: The Rosie Project
Author’s Name: Graeme Simsion
Summary
Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.
Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don’s Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.
The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.
What I Enjoyed
- Humor: The book made me smile. I was going through a difficult time when I read this. I was down with fever and needed a pick-me-up, and this book was perfect for that. The story was very simple, and most of the time, I already guessed the way the story is going to take. So it didn’t require any extra efforts.
- Male Character: I have not encountered a lot hetero romances with male characters as the main voice of the story. So this was a different experience altoghether.
What I Disliked
This is going to be an essay. I did not dislike anything a lot when I was reading the book itself. I was recovering from flu and weakness that comes with it. The book supported me well during that time. But there was something which made me uncomfortable about the whole story. I could not pin-point it at that time, but now I can. My initial rating to the book was 4, but that has been revised to 3 since that time.
I think, at many points, the book generalizes and glorifies the Asperger’s Syndrome. I am not very well acquainted with the condition as I have not encountered it personally or in friends/family (At least not that I am aware of). But I do think that the easy acceptance that the main male character, Don has about people not liking him, of not responding to everything etc. is not usual. A lot of people who are not easily accepted by the society have self-doubts. So this book oversimplifies that situation.
But this is my perception. I hope to read more stories to understand the symptom and how people deal with it.
Overall Rating