Chapter One Hundred Seventy: The Rosie Project (and The Rosie Effect)

So last winter my grandmother sent me several books she'd enjoyed, and Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project was among them.  This is a title I've seen circulate at the library a good bit but never really looked at myself.  As soon as I read the first sentence, I was hooked!  The Rosie Project is narrated by its protagonist, Don, a genetics professor at a university in Melbourne (Australia!) who has a very distinctive voice and worldview that I found utterly captivating.  The book hints that he may be on the autism spectrum (i.e. by having him give a lecture on Asperger's Syndrome in the first chapter and not seeming to recognize how he fits with the characteristics he describes--subtle, I know), but I really like that this book refuses to have the narrator (or his two psychologist best friends) diagnose himself and then act from that box.  Don knows he's not the most socially adept person, but that doesn't stop him from deciding he's going to find a wife, which leads to the romantic comedy aspect of this novel, which had me laughing out loud pretty often--not at Don, but more at the world, because I could totally see where he was coming from and how much sense he makes in a world that is gloriously illogical.  I could hardly put this hilarious and heartwarming story down, and it was a perfect read for the beginning of summer!  The sequel, The Rosie Effect, is also fun, although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first book--a bit more on the drama and a bit less on the humor.  If you're looking for a fun and smart read that will make your heart as warm as your sunburned skin while you're lounging at the beach this summer, definitely look into The Rosie Project.