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Melinda Ott
, March 26, 2015
(view all comments by Melinda Ott)
This book has been sitting in my Kindle account for quite some time. I think it fell victim to my aversion to hyped books, or at least that is what I'm telling myself. I recently won a copy of The Rosie Effect in a giveaway and I thought I should probably read this one first. I went in expecting something light and quick.
Don't get me wrong--this was light and quick. Light in that it wasn't a book that I felt like I had to work to read and quick because I could not put it down. To assume, however, that it being "light and quick" means it is fluffy is just wrong. While this book is definitely smooth going down, shall we say, it definitely packs a punch.
It took me a little time to settle into this book, to no fault of the books. You see, I am a devoted fan of The Big Bang Theory and this book is very similar. The main character is a man with Asperger's and a scientist. Yet, it quickly becomes clear that Don Tillman is not a Sheldon Cooper clone...he wants to have a relationship and take pro-active, and questionable, steps to achieve that goal.
The other characters in this book are well-drawn as well. Rosie is an interesting woman and she turns out to not be what I initially thought she would be. I can't say that I "liked" Gene, but he was an effective foil for Don and one that I wouldn't expect. But, there was quite a bit about this book I didn' expect--I thought I had figured the Father Project out and was a bit flummoxed to realize that I had guessed wrong.
There is great comedy in this book (including some unorthodox uses for skeleton) but there is great emotion as well. Don's feelings are crystal clear to the reader long before he ever has the slightest inkling of going on. Yet, when he does figure it out, it hits you like Billy Crystal's speech in When Harry Met Sally (but it is not when Don actually recites that particular speech...yes, that happens!). I think the greatest strength of this book is how Simsion develops Don without Don actually knowing it. And, yes, this is a love story--a quirky and sweet romantic tale, but it isn't what I would consider a "romance." Don's relationship with Rosie is the tool that leads to his self-realization, not the other way around.
It has been a while since a book so quickly worked its way into my heart as this one did. Ignore the hype (even though it is all well-deserved) and pick up this book!
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