The Rosie Project

Genre: Fiction

This is the story of Don Tillman, an Australian professor of genetics who is an adult living with Asperger’s Syndrome, although he doesn’t initially seem to know it. Don has decided to find a wife and is doing it in the same clear-cut, organized way he does everything, by creating a questionnaire. Don’s uber-organized, methodical and planned life is about to hit some speed bumps. As part of his professional life he meets Rosie, who is looking for her birth-father. Rosie is clearly not marriage material, but they become fast friends and have a range of experiences together. Will Don overlook his dogmatic ways and open himself up to love or will he rely on the questionnaire? This is a story about love, and learning that sometimes true love can be found in the unlikeliest of places.

This book is sweet and very charming. It's a modern-day fairy tale. But I can’t say I loved it for a few reasons. First, because there’s no depth to it. It’s all single notes. A story line is interesting when the author meanders through the story taking you in a circuitous way from point A to point Z, all the while telling you what you need to know about the characters and the story. This story took you from point A to point Z in a direct route. No surprises and extremely predictable. The second reason I didn't love this one is that so much in the story doesn’t seem plausible. At times Don is very matter of fact and at others he questions himself and his feelings. I’m not sure that someone who is unaware of his Asperger’s Syndrome would be able to take himself out of the equation long enough to question his feelings, in the way Don does. Isn't that part of having Asperger's Syndrome? Finally, the story felt contrived. Within a span of this book Don and Rosie go on a date together, work on a project together, work together in a social setting and take a long trip together; all things that one would experience with a new partner over a period of a few months to a year. One of my friends is a chef and her recommendation, every time I ask about a recipe, is to cook things, “Low and slow”. I think that answer would apply to this story very well. Taking it down a few notches and letting the story simmer and develop slowly would have made this story more plausible and, I think, more enjoyable.