The Rosie Project By Graeme Simsion
I’ve been greatly enjoying the variety that fiction has brought to Not Another Book Club’s reading list this year! Yesterday we discussed The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, an enjoyable, light-hearted, and feel-good book (perhaps unsurprising for a romantic comedy!) about love and the autism spectrum. This one had me laughing out loud!
We spent much of our discussion digging beneath the book's surface. We enjoyed the celebration of the frequently stereotyped qualities that people on the autism spectrum often have in spades: focus, concentration, rational thought, and the ability to distance from emotions, although this left us hungry for a grittier and more inclusive take on neurodivergence (which is perhaps a bit much to ask of a romcom published 10 years ago).
And the book succeeds so well in bringing a wonderful degree of lightness, humour, and empathy to a topic that so often feels heavy and serious.
We found the greatest richness in our discussion around the way the characters and society as a whole respond to Don Tilman, the book's apparently neurodivergent hero. In fact, I came away feeling that the book was not really about the protagonist and how he is changed by falling in love with Rosie, but rather about the journey that each of the other characters goes on as they find their own way to look through Don's outward behaviour, which frequently doesn't conform to social norms, in order to see, love, and engage more deeply with the human being underneath.
--> It is not the responsibility of the neurodivergent to fit in with society; rather, it is the responsibility of society to be more open, welcoming, and inclusive towards people who show up looking or behaving in ways we're not used to.
While I found I could often see where Don was coming from in the way he sees the world, I found Rosie the most intriguing character in the book, with her complicated backstory and an empathetic intuition every bit as brilliant as Don's intellect. I would love to read a parallel version of this book, narrated by Rosie!
Reviews - https://www.gatesnotes.com/The-Rosie-Effect (includes brief video of conversation with the author) - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jan/05/rosie-project-graeme-simsion-review Podcasts - Part 1: https://play.acast.com/s/the-osher-gunsberg-podcast/273.1writingabest-sellingbookwithgraemesimsion - Part 2: https://play.acast.com/s/the-osher-gunsberg-podcast/273.2writingabest-sellingbookwithgraemesimsion