“The Rosie Effect” by Graeme Simsion - Change of Rules

In his previous novel, The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion introduced us to Don and Rosie and the hilariously charming adventures that finally brought them together. Needless to say, there are two stages in the lives of such couples: before and after marriage.

Now that they are living together as husband and wife, in a different city, with different jobs, things have started to take on a different meaning... especially when Don learns that Rosie is pregnant.

And so, such is the premise of The Rosie Effect: we get to see Don Tillman navigate through the countless lessons of life in his habitually unusual way, one that often leads to ridiculous results and situations that just pile on top of each other.

We get to travel down the rabbit hole with him, trying to understand the direction his life is taking, Rosie's increased aloofness, what it means to be married, how relationships can deteriorate and such.

Things are progressively made worse and worse (the type of situation Don has become an expert in), to the point where they say more lies than truths and eventually split into separate bedrooms.

Of course, even with his Asperger's, Don isn't the type to give up, getting the help of his friends in winning Rosie back. Needless to say, with Don being at the helm of this ship, they all set sail into the waters of the hilariously ridiculous.

To begin with, those who like the first book ought to understand that even though this is a sequel, the story itself is rather different in its nature, owing to the rather realistic progression of the characters' relationship. A story of “boy-meets-girl” has a very different atmosphere to it than one about married life, dealing with vastly different themes and life lessons.

It's still as wild and funny a ride as ever, but it does have a more introspective feeling to it, on that makes you ponder the more tragic aspects of marriage, responsibilities and unrealistic expectations.

Perhaps the strongest aspect of the book is the rock-solid way Simsion built Don, our beloved first-person narrator. He took very good care to identify and describe every inch of the character's appearance and thought process, making him into a unique and extremely believable character, one that feels based on a very real person.

The way he thinks, acts and speaks is very consistent throughout the story; death wouldn't ever catch him doing something out of character. If he must make an unusual decision, it is only after careful pondering and deliberation.

There is a bothersome aspect to this book however, and that is Rosie's behaviour. Of course, we only ever get to see Don's side of the story, but it feels like Simsion went out of his way to make her more hateable.

She never explains what she expected from Don upon announcing her pregnancy, and it is even made clear that she was trying for it without ever discussing it with him.

She is unbelievably selfish, which feels like a rather dramatic shift from the previous book when her kindness, affection and compassion still shone despite her self-absorbed moments.

All in all, The Rosie Effect is a different novel from the first one in a number of ways, and virtually all of them make this a meaningful and enjoyable experience.

There are laughs, sobs and deep thoughts to be had (with the occasional facepalm), and those who enjoyed the first book should definitely give this one a try.

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Graeme Simsion Personal site Graeme Simsion is a New Zealand-born Australian author, screen writer, playwright, and data modeler. In 2012 he was awarded, amongst many others, the Victorian Premier’s Unpublished Manuscript Award for The Rosie Project and to this day his writing has managed to garner worldwide attention.