The Rosie Effect

Rosie Jarman, the novel’s secondary protagonist, is Don’s wife and a fellow scientist pursuing medical school. Rosie’s unplanned pregnancy and the significant differences between her and Don are sources of conflict in the novel. While Don prefers routine, Rosie rarely plans ahead. Where Don is logical and organized, Rosie rarely plans ahead. She is comfortable with chaos, disruption, and surprise. She is a foil to Don in that, where Don is accused of being insensitive due to his neurodivergence, Rosie can be equally insensitive about the feelings of others, to the point of sacrificing basic civility. Rosie and her friend Claudia believe Rosie has father-related issues (first explored in The Rosie Project through her father Phil), which inform her anxiety over Don’s ability to parent.

Rosie loves Don, and is admittedly struggling with pregnancy and other stressors, although Graeme Simsion gives her several unsympathetic traits, including selfishness. Rosie’s distancing herself from Don during the course of the novel seems primarily motivated by her disappointment that he is not responding in neurotypical ways to her unplanned pregnancy, which she initiated by pausing her birth control without discussing her wishes or intentions with Don, or inviting his opinion. Rosie becomes increasingly irritated with Don and threatens to leave New York City; thus, her decision to stay seems capricious, as it’s unclear whether she appreciates him or simply believes that he can give her what she wants. Rosie exhibits little character growth, though her wishes and Don’s choices in respect to her drive the plot. The novel ends with Rosie and Don welcoming their newborn son, Hudson.

Gene is a secondary character in the novel who provides a foil to Don as a husband, scientist, father, and friend. Gene’s pronouncements on the evolutionary motivations behind courtship and partnership provide occasional comic relief and sometimes conflict for Don, as Gene cheated on his wife. Don relies on Gene to interpret social cues and provide coaching in terms of conventions within relationships, but Don also understands that Gene is imperfect, as evidenced by his infidelity and deception. Gene’s affair damages his relationships with his children, particularly with his son, who loses respect for his father. Gene later admits he exaggerates his sexual history to elevate himself and deny his responsibility as a father. Gene’s failed efforts to pursue a romantic relationship with Inge at first seem to parallel Don’s imminent separation from Rosie, but Gene is then instrumental in bringing Don and Rosie back together. Gene’s example convinces Don that he is better off not trying to act like a neurotypical person but instead behaving as himself.