Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Barely Rational Decisions


“I have found a solution to the Wife Problem. As with so many scientific breakthroughs, the answer was obvious in retrospect.”

So begins our narrator of The Rosie Project. Genetics professor Don Tillman is hung up on clean bathrooms, apricot ice cream, and punctuality. Since his social skills have failed him in finding a suitable life partner, he turns to science. Thus begins the Wife Project.

After carefully crafting a written survey intended to weed out all but Mrs. Perfect, Don submits it to his best friend, a psychology professor. The next thing he knows, his friend has sent over Rosie.  Thinking she aced the questionnaire, Don invites her to dinner without preamble.  Soon, he discovers she fails almost all of his important criteria. However, it turns out to be the best night of his life. 

Funny and sweet, Graeme Simsion’s novel proves that not only do opposites attract, they accept (and embrace) the differences.

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