The Rosie Project

1. General Impressions 

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Are you satisfied with the “happily ever after” ending of the book? Does it feel genuine to the characters and narrative?
• The author, Graeme Simsion, has a Ph.D. in data modeling. Though this is not the field of the protagonist, Don, who is a geneticist, they are both analytical STEM fields. Does the author’s STEM expertise come through in the novel’s content and themes?
• This book is followed by two sequels, The Rosie Effect and The Rosie Result. Are you motivated to finish the trilogy?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• This novel is unique in that it draws on themes of bildungsroman—a character growing and learning and coming of age—with a character in his late thirties. Do you have any interests, hobbies, or relationships that you discovered in adulthood but that you feel helped you “come of age” in a way?
• Do you relate to Don’s romantic and relationship foibles? Why or why not?
• Don initially adopts an analytical approach to seeking a romantic partner. He develops the Rosie Project to sort through women’s features of compatibility. Do you believe that romance, love, and attraction can be approached analytically?
• Gene uses his professional status to exploit women, and his wife Claudia suffers through his behavior quietly until Gene decides to change on his own. On the other hand, Don feels like he has the agency to eventually call Gene out on his behavior. What do you believe are the responsibilities of romantic partners in helping each other grow versus staying silent?
• In this book, all of the main characters ultimately have the power to change. Do you think that people fully realize the power to change in real life? What factors make it easier and harder for people to change something about themselves?

3. Societal and Cultural Context 

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• This novel depicts a main character, Don, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Some books with characters with ASD—such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time—are criticized for presenting harmful and inaccurate depictions that stigmatize people with ASD. Consider doing research on the realities of ASD. Then, discuss how this book represents ASD. Is the depiction accurate and helpful or inaccurate, harmful, or stereotypical? Does it stigmatize people with ASD?
• The novel offers a mentor figure who is extremely flawed. Gene is an advisor and mentor to Don, helping guide him through social systems and teaching him what is socially expected. At the same time, Gene abuses his power as a researcher about human sexuality, unethically asserting it in his own interactions with women. What social and cultural problematics are set up by this dynamic? What types of interactions between men and women are established as “normative” because of this dynamic? Does the book end up subliminally endorsing this dynamic or subverting it by the end?

4. Literary Analysis 

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• Why is it important to the plot and character arcs that Don and Rosie are foils for one another? How would the content of the narrative change if they were more similar?
• How does the novel juxtapose the two morphing relationships—Don and Rosie, and Gene and Claudia? What models for romantic relationships do they each provide? What lessons about romantic relationships do the progress of these relationships reveal?
• As the central character, Don learns how to change his interaction with people in the world around him. However, Don also affects the lives of the people around him. Analyze the effect Don has on the arcs of the novel’s other characters.
• Discuss how the characters’ professions influence their personalities, interactions, and growth. Considering this relationship, how would the novel’s structure and plot change if the characters had different professions?

5. Creative Engagement 

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• This book is followed by two sequels, The Rosie Effect and The Rosie Result. Based only on their titles, what do you imagine happens in the continuation of this story?
• Some critics believe this book would be more successful as a drama rather than a comedy, as a comedy can too easily use an often-marginalized identity for laughs. How would you reimagine this novel as a drama? Do you think it would improve the novel?

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