The Rosie Result
The Rosie Result is the final of the Rosie Trilogy by Graeme Simsion. At the rational heart of these books is Don Tilman. Don is many things, Professor of Genetics, martial arts expert and diviser of the Standardised Meal System, Don is also on the spectrum. While being on the spectrum is not unusual, what is unusual is for a character with a disability to be so multi-dimensional and in no way a caricature.
It is in the The Rosie Project where we first meet Don; Don has decided he’s getting married but he doesn’t know to who yet. He’s devised a sixteen-page questionnaire to find his perfect woman. Enter, Rosie Jarman who doesn’t fit the questionnaire but what she does do, is see Don who he is and loves him for it.
In The Rosie Effect, we find the couple living in New York, happily married and working. We also find Don embarking on a new project, learning the skills to become The World’s Best Cocktail Maker. Don’s approach to life is that every problem has a solution and every question has a rational answer. It is in the second novel, we see more change in Don. Guided by Rosie, Don develops emotional intelligence and a better understanding of his fellow humans, even though we can be irrational and contrary. The discovery of Rosie’s pregnancy is a test for Don to see how much he has really learnt.
In the final of the trilogy, The Rosie Result, the family are back in Melbourne after a decade in New York with their 11 year old son Hudson.
Hudson is different, he’s interested in sci-fi, doesn’t like change, is prone to meltdowns, is obsessive and has his parent’s beholden to him. He’s also struggling at school, hates it, is bored and corrects his teacher’s grammar. The Principal want’s Hudson to be assessed as being on the spectrum. He doesn’t and neither do his parents, so begins The Hudson Project. His father has spent his entire life trying to fit into mainstream society, so who better to teach him the ways of the world? Don quits his job as a Genetics Professor, a blessing in disguise after the Genetics Lecture Outrage and begins his project. In fact their are now two projects, The Hudson and The Worlds Best Cocktail Bar which Don designs complete with bespoke ordering apps for those living on the spectrum.
The Hudson Project is the beginning of a journey of discovery for both Hudson and Don. With the help of friends and family and of course Hudson’s only friend, Blanche who has albinisim, the pair start to learn that maybe it isn’t them that needs to change but perhaps it’s the world.
At the very core of this book, is a message of acceptance and understanding. Graeme Simsion reminds the reader that we are all unique and have our own gifts. It shows us is that acceptance is a two way street. It is not about the neuro-typical or non disabled accepting or tolerating the disabled but rather, true acceptances comes from understanding.
Without being soppy, The Rosie Effect is also a love story. Over the course of the three books, Don Tilman grows and matures as a man, he develops into a man who is able to express and show deep emotion (just as long as you don’t unexpectedly hug him). He loves his son and doesn’t want him to be subject to the same trauma he experienced as a child. Most people would assume that a person assessed as being on the spectrum would not be capable of such love and altruism . The Rosie Effect teaches us that assuming things about people without having the facts is, as Don would say not rational.
This series and particularly the final is a hilariously examination of how the world sees us and how we see others. It shows us what it is to love, live in a complex and changing society and most importantly that people don’t need labels they just need to be understood, cared for and loved. It is a message that we at Karista wholeheartedly agree with.
Five Stars.
The Rosie series is published by Text Publishing and is not a paid review. Book cover courtesy of Text Publishing
