The Rosie project

When I was told to read this book, never had I thought that I was going to set off on a journey towards the most longed feelings. The author, Graeme Simsion, tells us an affectionate and intelligent story sets in Melbourne, in which a geneticist, Don Tillman, a middle-aged autistic man, approaches a romantic relationship with Rosie, a student of psychology.

Don has barely friends. He feels that, somehow or other, is wired totally different to the rest of people. His inability to follow social protocols and feeling love, joined to an exhaustive adherence to schedules and phobias, make him difficult to find a couple. This is the reason why Don, helped by his best friends Gene and Claudia, a married couple of psychologists, designs a questionnaire addressed to help him to find the perfect partner. That is the beginning of what is called “the wife’s project’.

In the search of the perfect woman, none of them appear to be suitable for him. After some unsuccessful tries, Gene introduced him Rosie, a woman that is, in all lights, unsuitable for him since she does not fulfil the demanding questionnaire requirements. During a date, Rosie tells Don that she is in the search of her biological father so, being him a geneticist, feels the need of helping Rosie by testing her possible fathers’ DNA samples.

Don does not have a glimmer of hope to find a partner and, as a consequence, decides to put aside the Wife’s project and gives more consideration to a new project, the Father’s project. During their time together, Rosie becomes remarkably perceptive about Don. He finds everything fascinating and feels relaxed and acts differently when spending time together. As time goes by, they get to know each other and understand that they both are in love in spite of being so different.

I must confess that I have found this book warm-hearted and gripping, a really page-turner and, as my friend Matt says, ‘unputdownable’. I strongly recommend its reading since it shows us how two people coming from different backgrounds and different outlooks on life, are deeply inside very similar each other. Everyone needs to be loved, to have the feeling that they are necessary to the others and doubtlessly, in most occasions, a little effort must be done so as to pursue our soul mate.