Love is Strange

Sometimes I will pick up a book because the reviews convince me that this fantastically entertaining story is perfect for me.  This can lead to deep disappointment when I dive into the book and realize that the reviewers taste is not mine.  The problem is that my expectations have been cruelly raised and then dashed when they were not met.
The Rosie Project is a book that should not appeal to my reading tastes in any way.  It contains several elements that I tend to dislike as a reader.  It is a romance written in the first person by the main character who is male.  This character seems to be detached from reality and extremely socially awkward. Within the first few pages, though, the author manages to create empathy for this odd character along with a large dose of humor.  (He's not "Rain Man" but at times he comes close.)

This character, Don, approaches life scientifically.  (He is a geneticist at a university.)  He has his calorie and alcohol intake calculated to correspond with his exercise regimen.  He eats specific meals on scheduled days to ensure freshness, ease of shopping, and is limited to the recipes he already knows.  Don walks into a bar full of men and doesn't understand why they would offer to buy him a drink.  When he needs to go somewhere, he travels by bicycle, jogs, or asks others to drive him.  (Big Bang Theory fans, Don is the literary shadow of Sheldon Cooper.) He is the kind of character who develops a lengthy questionnaire to help him on his search for lifelong companionship, or The Wife Project as Don thinks of it.
Paired up (unscientifically) with Don is Rosie.  Rosie fits many of the criteria that Don is attempting to avoid as he sets out on his quest for love.  Rosie is a smoker.  Rosie does not plan her day much less her life. Rosie can be emotional.  Rosie throws Don's routine into chaos.  (Rosie is definitely not Amy Farrah Fowler.) Despite all these drawbacks, Don likes Rosie and Rosie learns to like Don as he helps her with her mission to find her biological father (also known to Don as The Father Project).

It's interesting how different book covers can be used to convey the contents of a story.  Looking at the various covers for The Rosie Project, the images reflect the unique character of Don pursuing his quest for love.  Whatever the cover of the copy that you pick up, you will laugh out loud as Don unwittingly discovers lasting love.  This book is bizarre romantic comedy at its best.