Book Review #2: “The Rosie Effect” by Graeme Simsion

Do you remember the last time you read through a book and never wanted it to end? Perhaps you’ve forgotten what it feels like because you’ve been busy reading books that require a lot of brain power to digest, and you just need a fun, witty entertaining book that will get you back on track on your Goodreads challenge. “The Rosie Effect” might be the book to help you do just that.

“The Rosie Effect” is the second novel in the “Don Tillman trilogy” by Australian writer Graeme Simsion. Published in 2014, it’s a sequel to the 2013 bestselling novel “The Rosie Project”, and a prequel to “The Rosie Result”, published in 2019.

All three books revolve around the life of Don Tillman, a professor in Genetics with Asperger’s syndrome. Don has a hard time deciphering social norms and cues which gets him into the funniest troubles. He also has the best qualities one can hope for in a human being, and brilliant problem solving skills he inspiringly applies in all sorts of situations.

Looking at life through Don’s lens is both fascinating and relatable. It shows how similar our life experiences are despite our differences, and how we are all subject to the same spectrum of human emotions–even if we don’t express or deal with them in the same way.

Whereas “The Rosie Project” takes a closer look into the journey of finding and relating to a partner, “The Rosie Effect” looks into the internal dialogue and transformation new parents go through when they are expecting a child. It is also filled with references to research papers and psychology insights, and is dedicated to Graeme’s wife, Anne Buist, who contributed to the book with her expertise as a professor of psychology.

I read “The Rosie Project” a few years back, and I couldn’t let go of it until I finished it. Bill Gates describes it as “an extraordinarily clever, funny, and moving book about being comfortable with who you are and what you’re good at.” “The Rosie Effect” is just as captivating.

Highly recommended, especially if you’re looking for a book to rekindle your passion for reading.

Buy them here: The Rosie Project| The Rosie Effect | The Rosie Result