“I immediately recognized Julie, the convenor, from Gene’s description: ‘blonde with big tits.’ In fact her breasts were probably no more than one and a half standard deviations from the mean size for her body weight and hardly a remarkable identifying feature. It was more a question of elevation and exposure, as a result of her choice of costume, which seemed perfectly practical for a hot January evening.”
I have read quite a few critiques that mention that Don’s actions, especially in the latter half of the book do not coincide with what someone who has Asperger’s would behave. Having been in school with a number of people who do have Asperger’s, I would say that the behavior in the book was not unfamiliar. Don’s character, however, is never actually diagnosed to be on the scale of autism. Additionally, this is a work of fiction. I never felt as if his actions were SO unbelievable as to warrant complaint. The fact that someone with Asperger’s might or might not come to Don’s conclusions if all of this were to happen to them, that really never entered my mind.
I thought this book was pretty good. I wasn't expecting anything very literary or difficult. I knew that it was likely to be light and funny before I even opened the book (figuratively since I read this on the Kindle app – it was $1.99!). This is a nice little novel with some interesting and memorable characters and a voice that will be unlike most you've read before. The ending is too tidy, things wrap up into a nice little bow at the end, but the conclusion didn't bother me. Instead, I simply enjoyed the unfolding of Don’s voice and learning more of his personality quirks. The direction the novel ultimately took was secondary.