The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion

Most of the books I have read this year did not involve a lot of chuckles, for example Herman Koch's The Dinner, reviewed in July. However, The Rosie Project brought many smiles. It is the story of Don Tilman, a geneticist working at an Australian University, a man who has never been on a second date. He has less-than-zero social skills and possibly has Asberger's. This conceit could have easily become ridiculous or annoying, but former IT consultant Graeme Simsion handles it with such empathy that it works well...in fact, the reader quickly becomes quite fond of Don. Also, we realize that in many ways all men are like Don, and this is perhaps part of the book's appeal. Don applies his scientific skills to his entire life, including finding a wife. He develops a long questionnaire to eliminate bad matches, The Wife Project. He soon begins to help one of his very unlikely matches find her biological father. Their time together is often hilarious, as are Don's run-ins with the university dean. Rosie is a short, fast read, which might remind you of many people you know!