Graeme Simsion’s new novel is a romantic comedy centered on the life of fictional character Don Tillman. Don has a good job teaching genetics, he’s healthy, and blessed with two close friends who totally get him. He has his life in perfect harmonium, except he is lacking in one department: women. He wants someone to share his life with – only then will his life be complete.

Don is logical, focused, and intent on not wasting his time with women who do not possess the attributes he deems necessary for a successful relationship. His desire for the perfect mate is what leads him to create “the wife project”: a scientifically sound, meticulously plotted plan to find a suitable companion. A key element of his search involves a 16-page questionnaire he has devised to screen out unsuitable prospects.

Certain that the wife project will bring him success in meeting “the one,” Don does not expect to run into Rosie.

Free-spirited, spontaneous, messy, and emotional, Rosie’s character would fail miserably on Don’s questionnaire. In fact, she is the exact opposite of what Don imagined his ideal woman to be.

Circumstances cause Don and Rosie to join together and embark on a project to find Rosie’s father. The mystery involves a genetics puzzle that captures Don’s scientific curiosity, provoking him to join in adventure after adventure with Rosie. Though she’s thoroughly unsuitable for Don, she becomes increasingly intriguing to him.

The Rosie Project is a sweet, silly, and romantic novel, full of laugh-out-loud turns of phrase and observations from the serious and logical protagonist. The book captures that wonderful, unforeseen turn in life that, as John Lennon wrote, happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

CJ Trent is the Math department’s secretary. She would always rather be reading.