A bestselling new novel, Lessons in Chemistry takes the reader back to the 1960s with a story about a chemist who finds herself the unwilling star of a television cooking show. We first meet our protagonist Elizabeth Zott as a young woman entering the male-dominated field of chemistry, facing unequal pay, few opportunities, and sexual harassment. Despite all of this, or perhaps because of it, she grows into a formidable scientist who refuses to accept disrespect from anyone. Elizabeth eventually finds a job at a lab in California, where she meets Calvin Evans, a rising star of the chemistry world. Calvin is brilliant, ambitious, and a little guarded… just like Elizabeth. In each other, the two find undeniable chemistry, and a beautiful relationship unfolds. Through a series of events that I’ll leave you to discover on your own, Elizabeth finds herself a single mother hosting a television cooking show, Supper at Six, even though her heart is still in the lab. As she adapts to her new role, Elizabeth finds support in the unlikeliest of places and spreads inspiration in the unlikeliest of ways. Elizabeth’s unconventional journey proves what magic can happen when you throw out the recipe book and write your own rules.
Lessons in Chemistry surprised me in so many ways. From the title and the cover art, I went in expecting a love story, and though there are romantic aspects, this book is so much more than that. Hard to pin down to a specific genre, Lessons in Chemistry feels like a mix between historical fiction and literary fiction with a whimsical bent. The focus of the story is Elizabeth’s experience as a woman, and the hard reality of being a woman in the 1960s, but within that framework Garmus sprinkles playful hints of magical realism (Six-Thirty, the intelligent dog, stole my heart), along with humor, tenderness, and mystery. I thought it so unique the way Garmus pairs her charming style of storytelling with a nostalgic ’60s setting to create a world that almost feels like a sitcom, à la I Love Lucy or I Dream of Jeannie, albeit a messier, more realistic version where things like grief and sexism exist. And in this world, it’s all too easy to fall in love with the eccentric cast of characters; I found myself gasping and laughing at the situations Garmus creates for them and her cheeky narration of it all. Insightful, funny, and highly readable, Garmus has written a book that doesn’t play by the genre rules, and the result is an absolute delight.
I’d recommend this book to…
- Anyone impressed by books that can go from serious to playful and back again… it’s similar in tone to Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler
- Anyone who adores an imaginative world that feels real and magical at the same time… it’s similar in style to The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
- Anyone who loves stories of women doing amazing things against the odds… it’s similar in theme to the movie Hidden Figures
