The Rosie Project // book review

I'm 99% certain I won't complete my 2015 book review challenge, but anyway here's a review of a book by an author I'd never read before. The Rosie Project is the debut novel of Australian author Graeme Simsion, and - spoiler alert - I loved it.

The book follows the story of Don Tillman - a man who is for all intents and purposes, very autistic; he just doesn't seem to know it, despite the fact he totally connects with the children at a talk he gives about Aspergers syndrome. He has a schedule for everything, and has never got past the first date with anyone. He lives alone in his apartment, and has a best friend who's aim is to sleep with a woman from every country in the world.

Don creates 'the wife project' - questionnaires and a series of unsuccessful singles parties/online dating debacles - to find the perfect woman for him. Needless to say it doesn't go as planned.

We watch from the sidelines as he meets the ever-unpredictable Rosie; the story is narrated by Don himself, and every aspect of his life is detailed throughout the story. Aspergers is something that can often be difficult to understand, and Don allows us to see how. Social situations and etiquette are a mystery to him, and jokes often go over his head. He is stiff and set in his ways - Rosie throws this all up into the air, and Don reacts the only way he knows how to: he gets scared off.

Lobster, New York, DNA tests and a fight in a posh restaurant later, it's a happy ending for Don and Rosie - but I'll let you find that out properly for yourselves. I loved this book; the characters are so easy to relate to (even Don, who's set in his ways and rides a bike everywhere) and they are described so beautifully. If you know someone with Aspergers, or even if you don't, this is such a heart-warming story.