The Rosie Effect

February 23, 2015
This sequel to 2013’s The Rosie Project finds brilliant but socially inept Australian geneticist Don Tillman married to medical grad student Rosie Jarman and living in N.Y.C. Don’s orderly life is upended when Rosie gets pregnant and Don’s friend Gene moves in with them. Much of the humor involves Don’s mishaps as he struggles to manage things in a logical way, while misinterpreting social situations and taking
people’s words too literally (he doesn’t get sarcasm, rhetorical questions, or hyperbole). In the wrong hands, this
type of character might come across as unemotional or cold, but Australian
narrator O’Grady strikes the perfect chord, conveying Don’s earnest desire
to do the right thing, his befuddlement when he messes up, and his genuine love for Rosie—all with Don’s rigid thought process and likable quirkiness. O’Grady also does a good job differentiating between different characters: he speaks in a higher register for women and uses a tough-guy voice for a cop, and even makes a somewhat successful attempt at a New York accent for several characters. This is an excellent narration of a highly entertaining story. A S&S hardcover.

July 11, 2014