The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A huge welcome back to Rosie and Don, now married and living in America where Rosie continues to study and Don is a visiting professor. Things have changed somewhat; Don’s old Standardised Meal System is out, sex is not scheduled and he’s still learning to live in close proximity to another person, thus resulting in occasionally spending longer in the bathroom than is really necessary. Basically, Don is finding that marriage has as many challenges as finding a partner had.
Challenge one is a misunderstanding with a neighbour over laundry, which Rosie demands Don sort out but Don being Don cannot see the problem with expensive lingerie being dyed.
Challenge two is that Don’s old friends Gene and Claudia have split up and Gene is heading to America, an event Rosie will surely not like as it means time will be dedicated to Gene.
Challenge three is the biggest – and scariest – challenge and one that Don is not sure he can cope with but will have to find a way to do so if it means keeping Rosie.
And all three challenges lead to challenge four – finding a new apartment on a budget. What will Don come up with?
As Don deals with the challenges in his very unique way, you can be assured there are ups and downs and plenty of laughs as he seeks to resolve issues which will have you wondering if Rosie and Don can survive with their marriage intact.
It was great to read what happened to Rosie and Don after The Rosie Project, which was such a success. They are not by any means the perfect couple and this is what makes them so beloved; their problems however are those that any couple could have but the fact of Don’s Aspergers makes them more...problematic, at least in Rosie’s eyes. Again, as in The Rosie Project, there are serious issues, which, although dealt with in humour should not be dismissed as nothing. Graeme Simsion has made the contrast between what a person without Aspergers and what a person with Aspergers thinks of different issues with great clarity; even the simplest of things like dyed lingerie – not a problem for Don, no one sees it; but a huge problem for Rosie – sets out perfectly not just how Don is programmed to think but also how he can learn to be empathetic and understanding. Then again, it shows how sometimes the big issues in life really aren’t when you look from Don’s perspective. It’s by no means an easy task for Don to second guess what Rosie would like and to understand other people’s behaviour but it is a lot of fun sharing his progress and makes for a very comfortable and compassionate read.
There are some hilarious scenarios in this book; the restaurant scene, which I will not spoil, had me laughing aloud and it was sheer entertainment from beginning to end to be back with Rosie, Don, some of the old gang and some new faces. It is hard not to feel for but also to love Don and I believe he has become a character that readers have really taken to heart.
There is absolutely nothing to dislike about the book, it’s just a solid, thoughtful but funny book. Brilliant.
Please, let there be another book soon.