To celebrate our upcoming author event with Graeme Simsion, Wyo reviews The Rosie Effect.
‘The Rosie Effect’ is the new sequel to Graeme Simsion’s hugely successful debut novel ‘The Rosie Project’. The narrator is Don Tillman, a genetics professor who has difficulties relating to others, interpreting social situations and is probably somewhere on the Autism scale. At the start of the novel, Don is living with his new wife, Rosie, in New York. A number of dilemmas crop up throughout the novel which most men would find challenging, but which for Don are a special kind of difficult – the most significant challenge for Don being Rosie becoming pregnant.
‘The Rosie Effect’, like ‘The Rosie Project’, is incredibly funny, clever, and heart-warming, while at the same time being extremely touching and at times deeply moving. Don’s personal difficulties create many situations for him, Rosie, and his friends which are extremely entertaining and almost absurd (in the best way possible), and Don’s perspective is extremely quirky and refreshing. While these social blunders are amusing, there is also a huge outpouring of sympathy that is created for Don, as sometimes the reader understands the cruelty of others while Don is somewhat blind to it. By looking through Don’s eyes, the reader experiences a truly unique and fascinating perspective of the world, marriage, friendships and parenthood, and is able to get a sense of how life is for someone trying their best to fit in, while everything is immeasurably more difficult than it is for most of us. This is a unique book, one of very few which have had me laughing out loud, staying up all night to finish it, and giving me a new perspective on many of the things that I take for granted.
As a sequel to such a wonderful novel, most readers and lovers of ‘The Rosie Project’ – myself included – might be anxious to continue reading, in case the magic of the first book is diminished by a disappointing follow-on. The message here: stop worrying. ‘The Rosie Effect’ is the perfect sequel, matching the first book in every way, while delving deeper into the main characters and into Don’s world, and the difficulties experienced by someone who finds interacting with others so challenging. Both ‘The Rosie Project’ and ‘The Rosie Effect’ are my number one recommendation for anyone after a book that is entertaining, funny, romantic and light – while still being extremely clever, quirky and original. Women might be more immediately attracted to these books, but there is no reason that male readers won’t enjoy them just as much.
‘The Rosie Effect’ is the perfect read for the start of summer; for anyone who loves the prequel; for anyone after a few wonderful hours in Don’s unique and hilarious world.
