On the spectrum

Book Review: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simison

I've been spending a lot of time on trains just lately and this is great (as long as the connections work!) as I get lots of uninterrupted reading time.  Recently the book that captivated me was The Rosie Project.

The book has been around for a little while and a few people have mentioned it but recently Rebecca was really enthusing about it and as I had a copy sitting on my Kindle thanks to Net Galley I started it.

It is an odd little book and one that I really got drawn into, in many ways the plot is really quite predictable but that doesn't matter because the story, the characters and the writing are so good you have to keep reading.

The main character is Don, a university scientists and lecturer in Australia who lives by a very set routine and doesn't handle disruption well.  It becomes obvious to the reader in a very early, and very funny chapter, that he does suffer with some form of Aspergers or Autism, he however doesn't quite see this.

Don is lonely and decides to find himself a wife, using very strict criteria he thinks he'll have some success but this doesn't take into account Rosie and once they meet the plot really flies.  Rosie has her own issues and agenda which become clear as she and Don become friends.

The book is being compared to both David Nicholl's One Day and Mark Haddon's Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and while I can see why I think this book is more special than both of these, it just felt more real to me with the ups and downs being realistic rather than dramatic.

The book is being turned into a film but as ever I urge you to read the book first, although a little romantic this is great for readers of both sexes and pure fun.