What kind of mood should you be in before reading this novel? You should be in the mood for something light, frivolous, fun and touching.
What can you say about a book that Bill Gate himself stayed up all night to finish? The Rosie Project is The Big Bang Theory meets When Harry Met Sally, a feel good tale of a rational man setting out to find the girl of his (logical) dreams, and getting sidetracked into a genetic mystery on the way.
Don Tillman is 39, fit, with a job as assistant professor and an uncanny resemblance to Gregory Peck (swoon). Still, somehow, he never seems to be a hit with the ladies- and after the horrific Apricot Ice-cream Incident (not spoiling what it is), Don’s more or less given up on dating.
Until his aging neighbor tells him he’d make a good husband- and thus begins The Wife Project, a quest to mathematically find “The One.” Don’s long questionnaire (“Do you smoke? What’s your favorite flavor of Ice cream? Do you eat meat?”) is uncomfortably identical to an Indian arranged marriage interrogation. I’ve heard of at least two seemingly perfect matches destroyed because, “He smokes!” or “She doesn’t eat meat!”
Enter Rosie, a highly unsuitable character. She smokes. She’s vegetarian (“except for fish”) and she’s clearly failing his questionnaire. Still, against his logic, Don finds himself sidetracked into “The Rosie Project” solving the mystery of who her biological father is.
Unlike Sheldon from TBBT (a character that sometimes grates on my nerves), Don’s absolute arrogance is tempered with an essential sweetness and decency. Rosie is cute in her own quirky, messed up way, a great counterpoint to Don.
The book moves quickly, from scene to scene, much like a rom-com, with loads of hilarious things happening in the background, and chronicles Don’s emotional changes, from being totally clueless to slowly figuring himself and his emotions out.
Result: 3.8/5 Worth a read, especially if you are yourself, or are dating, an insufferable but lovable nerd who is sometimes out of touch with his/her emotions.
Book: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.
Reviewer: Manjaree Sowani
Pages: 295 pages
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