Friday, 1 June 2018 10:08 pm
Book Review: The Rosie Effect
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deckardcanineUsually, I wait longer than eight months to pick up a sequel to a book I read. But my mom has been itching to share this with me. Besides, as I said before, I wanted something both very different from Ubik and dependably enjoyable.
About two years after the events of Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project, Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are married and living in New York City. Don teaches genetics at Columbia University while Rosie studies for two doctorates. Both of them moonlight as cocktail mixers. Things have been going pretty well for them, until a double whammy occurs. First, Don's philandering friend and former co-worker Gene has been kicked out and needs a place to stay; Don agrees to house him despite knowing that Rosie can hardly stand Gene. Second, despite Don's penchant for planning, Rosie announces a pregnancy he hadn't anticipated. (I'm not sure whether she merely flaked on her contraception or couldn't wait any longer.)
Before long, Rosie shows signs of pushing away from Don, tho with his poor people skills, it takes him a while to catch on. Several causes are likely in play. First, she was raised by a single parent and may feel inclined to continue the pattern. Second, she's big on independence, not even wishing to defer her studies during early motherhood. Third, the very eccentricities she loves about Don also suggest to her that he'd make a worse father than none at all.
Don suspects that she may be right on that last point. As it happens, he's met a psychologist, Lydia, who's biased against him, between political differences and her own unfortunate observation of what can come of an inattentive husband. She explicitly advised him never to procreate. What's worse, after Don has a misunderstanding with the law (not for the last time), she holds the power to threaten him with deportation.
In his desire to minimize Rosie's stress for the developing baby's sake, Don starts to deceive both Rosie and Lydia. He is keenly aware that lying is not one of his strong suits, but he does have a little help from friends. I suspect that their tangled web would not work so well in real life.
One thing I like better about TRE compared with TRP is that more characters seem fleshed out. Don and Rosie had no dearth of personality before, but now Don has a bigger circle of close acquaintances. We get a better sense of Dave, his first New York friend; and Sonia, Dave's wife. Through Dave, Don meets aging rock star George. Even Gene, who had plenty of lines before, appears to have more depth than I thought. There are also a few more minor characters who, while not yet three-dimensional, provide enough interest that I don't feel that Don utterly stole those scenes.
Has Don changed at all? Sure. He's gained some appreciation for spontaneity, among other things most people take for granted. Every so often, he becomes aware of human subtleties that would surely have escaped him pre-Rosie. Sometimes, to his surprise, someone takes him for normal or even cool. Nevertheless, it's never long before he misreads irony or commits an embarrassing if not shocking faux pas, sometimes by talking too long (mercifully capsulized in text) or using a rare skill in a way that looks like showing off. He doesn't understand why people keep likening him to the Rain Man. That said, it's possible that I've changed since TRP: I found such moments less cringeworthy and more hilarious.
It's worth noting how virtuous Don is. At no point does he feel outright hostility or even apathy toward anyone. He always tries to do right by people. This may entail overstepping social boundaries with potentially disastrous results, but overall, I'd say he achieves more good than harm, particularly within several subplots concerning his friends. That's why they're willing to do so much for him, such as urging him to do whatever it takes to stop Rosie from leaving.
I never knew for certain what would happen next in TRE. Only on occasion did it stretch my credulity. The annoying aspects are far outweighed by the sweetness and humor. In short, it is everything I could hope for from a sequel to TRP.
My next read is The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. I hadn't realized that it starts a series that formed the basis of one of Disney's less popular animated features.
About two years after the events of Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project, Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are married and living in New York City. Don teaches genetics at Columbia University while Rosie studies for two doctorates. Both of them moonlight as cocktail mixers. Things have been going pretty well for them, until a double whammy occurs. First, Don's philandering friend and former co-worker Gene has been kicked out and needs a place to stay; Don agrees to house him despite knowing that Rosie can hardly stand Gene. Second, despite Don's penchant for planning, Rosie announces a pregnancy he hadn't anticipated. (I'm not sure whether she merely flaked on her contraception or couldn't wait any longer.)
Before long, Rosie shows signs of pushing away from Don, tho with his poor people skills, it takes him a while to catch on. Several causes are likely in play. First, she was raised by a single parent and may feel inclined to continue the pattern. Second, she's big on independence, not even wishing to defer her studies during early motherhood. Third, the very eccentricities she loves about Don also suggest to her that he'd make a worse father than none at all.
Don suspects that she may be right on that last point. As it happens, he's met a psychologist, Lydia, who's biased against him, between political differences and her own unfortunate observation of what can come of an inattentive husband. She explicitly advised him never to procreate. What's worse, after Don has a misunderstanding with the law (not for the last time), she holds the power to threaten him with deportation.
In his desire to minimize Rosie's stress for the developing baby's sake, Don starts to deceive both Rosie and Lydia. He is keenly aware that lying is not one of his strong suits, but he does have a little help from friends. I suspect that their tangled web would not work so well in real life.
One thing I like better about TRE compared with TRP is that more characters seem fleshed out. Don and Rosie had no dearth of personality before, but now Don has a bigger circle of close acquaintances. We get a better sense of Dave, his first New York friend; and Sonia, Dave's wife. Through Dave, Don meets aging rock star George. Even Gene, who had plenty of lines before, appears to have more depth than I thought. There are also a few more minor characters who, while not yet three-dimensional, provide enough interest that I don't feel that Don utterly stole those scenes.
Has Don changed at all? Sure. He's gained some appreciation for spontaneity, among other things most people take for granted. Every so often, he becomes aware of human subtleties that would surely have escaped him pre-Rosie. Sometimes, to his surprise, someone takes him for normal or even cool. Nevertheless, it's never long before he misreads irony or commits an embarrassing if not shocking faux pas, sometimes by talking too long (mercifully capsulized in text) or using a rare skill in a way that looks like showing off. He doesn't understand why people keep likening him to the Rain Man. That said, it's possible that I've changed since TRP: I found such moments less cringeworthy and more hilarious.
It's worth noting how virtuous Don is. At no point does he feel outright hostility or even apathy toward anyone. He always tries to do right by people. This may entail overstepping social boundaries with potentially disastrous results, but overall, I'd say he achieves more good than harm, particularly within several subplots concerning his friends. That's why they're willing to do so much for him, such as urging him to do whatever it takes to stop Rosie from leaving.
I never knew for certain what would happen next in TRE. Only on occasion did it stretch my credulity. The annoying aspects are far outweighed by the sweetness and humor. In short, it is everything I could hope for from a sequel to TRP.
My next read is The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. I hadn't realized that it starts a series that formed the basis of one of Disney's less popular animated features.