The Rosie Project

Wow is all I can say to the wonderful world you fall into when you start reading this book.
The author, Graeme Simsion, really makes makes you feel like you are walking in Don Tillman's shoes as you follow his process to find a wife.  Tillman is a professor at a small college who, it seems clear, is not only a science geek, but has some of the exact qualities of being somewhere on the autism spectrum that he is studying and is oblivious to that fact.   As a running joke through out the novel characters keep telling each other, "Humans often fail to see what is close to them and obvious to others."

There is a wonderful cadence to the story as Don goes through the process of setting up his questionnaire based on his likes, dislikes and routines that he thinks will help him find the perfect woman to be his wife.  He sets up the Wife Project with the help of a friend.   His friend sends a young beautiful psychology student his way and he meets Rosie Jarman who is looking for her "real" father.  Rosie's mother, before her death, told her that she had sex with a man in her graduating class from medical school and Rosie was the product of that escapade.  Rosie has decided she wants to find this man and Don helps her with genetic testing, creating the Father Project.

Along the way on the their search Don and Rosie have many adventures.  Don is having the best time of his life and is willing to postpone the Wife Project while helping Rosie.  Through a series of well paced, funny hi -jinks and clever dialog, Simsion creates a moving, creative love story.

Though the ending starts to become clear early on the solid writing style and witting repartee keeps the reader engaged all the way to the end.  Romantic but not sappy this is a fun book to read.