Graeme Simsion is an Australian author and playwright who previously worked in the information systems industry. The Rosie Project, originally written as a screenplay, is the first in the Don Tillman trilogy. The novel explores the romantic and comedic errors of protagonist Don Tillman, a man implied (and confirmed on the author’s webpage) to have undiagnosed autism, as he looks for a wife. Set in Melbourne, Australia, and New York City, the novel is told in the first person from Don’s point of view.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of ableism, sexual content, illness, death, substance use, bullying, gender discrimination, mental illness, cursing, death by suicide, addiction

Language Note: Except in summaries (to preserve the language in the novel itself), this guide uses the terms “autism” and “autism spectrum disorder” to refer to what was known as Asperger’s syndrome at the time of the book’s publication; the diagnoses were merged in 2022.

Plot Summary

As a professor of genetics, Don lives an orderly, predictable life in a protected academic setting. When he decides that it is time for him to get married, he organizes the Wife Project. He develops a stringent and detailed 16-page questionnaire to weed out all the women he views as inappropriate and unqualified. He hopes this process will identify a select pool of perfect candidates from which he can choose a partner.

Rosie enters the picture when Don mistakes her for a Wife Project applicant. A graduate student in psychology, Rosie intrigues Don from the moment they meet, despite her apparent lack of suitability. She agrees to a date with Don, during which Don agrees to help her find her biological father to keep the relationship going.

Through their adventures collecting DNA samples from more than 40 possible fathers, Don and Rosie fall in love, though they refuse to acknowledge the fact. Don fails to recognize how he feels because Rosie does not fit the guidelines for his perfect partner. She smokes, is a pescatarian, and is chronically late. Rosie denies her feelings in turn because Donn lacks social skills, adheres to a rigid and obsessively structured schedule in all areas of his life, and dresses in a way she considers unkempt. 

Once Don realizes his love for Rosie, he knows he will have to change considerably so he can win her affection. With vigor, humor, and determination, he sets out to transform himself into a person she can love. Rosie eventually agrees to marry Don, and they embark upon their “happily ever after” in New York City.