I am not in the least surprised that Bonnie Garmus’s debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, became an instant New York Times Bestseller. What a joyous read this was; certainly my favourite of 2022 by some distance.
I couldn’t help but fall in love with protagonist Elizabeth Zott, an extraordinary woman determined to live her life on her own terms, and whose defiance of convention is largely inspired by a fascinating scientific outlook. I was equally charmed by the quirky supporting cast, particularly Elizabeth’s precocious daughter Mad, and Six-Thirty, the unfortunate-looking but hyper-intelligent family dog.
Set in 1960s California, the novel follows scientist Elizabeth Zott who embarks on a career at Hastings Research Institute where she has to contend with a male dominated workplace and heavy doses of prejudice and patronisation. This is also where she meets Calvin Evans, the lonely, brilliant, Nobel Prize-nominated fellow scientist. There is instant chemistry; he falls in love with her intellect, and she with his.
But life, we soon learn, is like science: unpredictable. A few years later, Elizabeth, now a single mother, finds herself starring in a popular television programme called Supper at Six, a cooking show based on science (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”), which quickly leads to unlikely – and unwanted – star status for Elizabeth. As the show gains popularity and is broadcast to a wider audience, Elizabeth once again comes up against the same prejudice she encountered in her career as scientist. Simply because, not only does she teach housewives how to cook, but she acknowledges their intelligence and dares them to change the status quo.
Lessons in Chemisty whisked me back in time and had me remembering a world of severe gender inequality when my own mother believed that her only option was to be a housewife – until circumstances compelled her to become a successful business woman.
The novel is filled with wonderful yarns and quotes from a variety of perspectives, including those of five-year-old Mad, the dog Six-Thirty, and of course Elizabeth, whose unique and enchanting world view makes for epic little nuggets on her tv show: “Whenever you feel afraid, just remember: courage is the root of change, and change is what we're chemically designed to do. So, when you wake up tomorrow, make this pledge. No more holding yourself back. No more subscribing to others' opinions of what you can and cannot achieve. And no more allowing anyone to pigeonhole you into useless categories of sex, race, economic status, and religion. Do not allow your talents to lie dormant, ladies. Design your own future. When you go home today, ask yourself what YOU will change. And then get started.”
Like her protagonist, Garmus also achieved instant star status with this, her debut novel, and deservedly so. It is snort-laugh funny, intriguing and thoughtful. As one reviewer observed: Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.
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