Between the Lines: The Rosie Project

Welcome back to Between the Lines, the blogger book club that Kristyn (of Chits and Giggles) and I started last month. This month we are discussing The Rosie Project by Graeme Samson.

The Rosie Project is the story of Don Tillman, a genetics professor who is in search of a wife. Don approaches this search in the same manner he approaches everything in his life, methodically and in a research-based manner. Don creates a survey for prospective partners to complete (with questions on eating habits and mathematical skills for example) as a means of ruling out poor matches and having him waste his time on unsuitable prospects. His tendency of viewing the world literally and in black and white make this a unique story to read. I enjoyed it and loved getting a glimpse of how Don’s mind worked (as a Psych major I loved this aspect of the book).

Don meets Rosie, who on paper is clearly not a good match for him. He is drawn to her though and helps her try to find out who her biological father is. There is a limited number of characters in this book; the only other two main ones are Gene and Claudia, a married couple living in an open marriage.

Were you surprised at the ultimate revelation of Rosie’s biological father? Did you suspect someone else?

I went back and forth on this issue throughout the book. I did lean towards Phil though. I really enjoyed this book but this is where I had an issue with it. It seemed like the ending part was rushed and almost as an afterthought. The search for Rosie’s biological father spanned the book but the answer seems to be thrown at us, and still somewhat convoluted, at the very end. Did you feel the same way?

Do Don’s Asperger’s conditions help him or hinder him? Does Don’s having autism offer any advantages in his life?

Hmmm……help or hinder? I can’t say that I know definitively either way. Part of me envies the black and white world of Don. Imagine where in his mind there is only right or wrong, no in betweens, no gray areas whatsoever. I can see where that may be liberating on some level to just accept something as it is and to not dissect it to the degree that I might in my day to day life. Having said that though, he is in the minority. His social interactions make him stand out and leave him confused at times. Not being able to read social cues and expressions as well as others can definitely be a disadvantage.

Do you feel happy for Don when he gets rid of some of his unique mannerisms in order to win Rosie or do you feel that he lost a part of himself?

Ahh…the age old question…should you change for someone else or should you expect someone to change for you? I tend to say no. You should be accepted as who you are and what you are. Having said that though, I do think there are ways that you can tone down parts of your personality without totally losing sight of who you truly are. I think this is what Don did throughout the novel. Prior to meeting Rosie he saw the world in his own regimented way. Through interactions with Rosie and guidance from his friends, he was able to pick up things that he had been overlooking all of his life. He developed the ability to see things in a different light (as evidenced with Kevin and the plagiarism). He was able to read people’s expressions a bit better and to pick up on some social cues. All of these things led him to have better interactions with those around him (for example, when they returned to the restaurant the 2nd time). Did Don change himself completely? Not at all. In fact, I think a whole new world was opening up to Don. For example, one night he went off course and had oysters instead of lobster. Something as simple as a change in food reminded Don that there was so much out there for him to try and experience. Had he stuck to his strict schedule of always doing the same thing and having the same food he never would have realized that. Ultimately though, Don was still the same person he was prior to meeting Rosie.

Does Gene get his comeuppance? What do you think of his marriage situation?

Gene and Claudia had an open marriage. Gene relished in the fact of keeping a map with pins in countries of the women he had slept with. We see throughout the book that Claudia is increasingly unsatisfied with this arrangement yet lets it go on. I definitely think Gene does get one. I think that Gene always viewed Don as someone less than him, someone that just didn’t get the world. Yet when Don walks into his office and tells him that he has been acting like a fool and that basically everyone thought he was a jerk, I think it hit Gene that he was wrong. I also enjoyed the fact that Phil comes into the club at the end of the book thinking that Gene slept with his wife and hits Gene, not because I am a huge fan of violence, but because Gene takes it as if he knows he had it coming to him for years of disrespect towards his wife and the women he slept with.

As for the second part of the question, I am not a fan of open marriages. I just don’t get it. Why get married at all then? Why not stay single? What are your thoughts?

Next month’s Between the Lines book selection is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. We will be discussing these questions on Tuesday, March 17th:

1. When Werner and Jutta first hear the Frenchman on the radio, he concludes his broadcast by saying “Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.” How do you think this phrase relates to the overall message of the story?

2. Why do you think Marie-Laure gave Werner the little iron key? Why might Werner have gone back for the wooden house but left the Sea of Flames?

3. The author writes, “To shut your eyes is to guess nothing of blindness.” What did you learn or realize about blindness through Marie-Laure’s perspective? Do you think her being blind gave her any advantages?

4. The narration moves back and forth both in time and between different characters. How do you think the experience would have been different if the story had been told entirely in chronological order?

Link up below and let’s talk about The Rosie Project!

The post Between the Lines: The Rosie Project appeared first on Love the Here and Now.