The Rosie Effect

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. (Jan.)