The Rosie Effect is the follow up to Graeme Simsion’s hugely successful novel The Rosie Project.
Before I continue this review I would firstly advise anyone (who hasn’t already) to read The Rosie Project first before this one. I feel like it’s quite necessary to learn about the characters and fully appreciate the story.
We rejoin Don as he is enjoying married life – until his new wife Rosie drops the earth-shattering bombshell that she’s pregnant. This causes no end of problems for the couple and, combined with the stress of Don’s friend Gene moving in with them and an unfortunate incident with the police, results in the couple’s marriage becoming increasingly strained despite the future birth of their child. Is this the end of Don and Rosie’s happily ever after?
I was so relieved that this novel is just as humorous as The Rosie Project – Don is still the same entertaining character with a love of order and routine, who unwittingly gets into the strangest situations just because he is ‘different’ (as people keep saying to him). Although he is highly intelligent and knows a LOT, he is very aware of this in a non-arrogant, ‘this is just how it is’ way which makes him so endearing as a character. He still seems unaware that he (probably) has Asperger’s syndrome (despite having given a presentation on this before in The Rosie Project) and, though Rosie ultimately loves him for the way he is, she worries about his future as father. As a result there are parts of the novel that are quite heartbreaking and emotional; at times the story is sadder than I was mentally prepared for when starting this book, but I really enjoyed the variance in tone anyway. The first book was overall a little more light-hearted overall but the sadder parts of this novel just make the story more rich and absorbing.
The descriptions throughout the novel are truly brilliant but what shines through the most in Simsion’s writing is the character descriptions and the ways he truly builds the characters so that they feel like real people I could meet one day.
I never wanted this novel to end- it made me laugh and it made me feel sad but it never left me feeling disappointed! I feel like it would appeal to readers of any age and gender – how can you not love this book?
Bring on book 3 (if there is going to be one- I really hope so?!)
Have you read either The Rosie Project or The Rosie Effect? If so what did you think?
Rating: 5/5
** Disclaimer: An advance copy of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, thank you Penguin UK! **