Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, narrated by Miranda Raison, explores the constraints women in STEM faced in the 1960s, even in California. The protagonist, Chemist Elizabeth Zott, is a single mother who finds herself on a television cooking show, Supper at Six, to make ends meet, but this is no ordinary cooking show on TV. It’s a platform. But how did Zott get here?
With this framing, we are transported through time when her love of science began and how she met her soulmate, Calvin Evans, who she had once thought as boorish as any other man she encountered at Hastings Research Institute. The chemistry between Calvin and Zott is palpable, despite her best efforts to deny it. She wants to be a scientist more than anything and knows that marriage and love could end all of it.
Garmus’ characters are quirky and awkward, but they fit, like a puzzle. What happens to Zott along the way is tragic and sad, but what shines is her focus on moving forward, even if she does get a little sidetracked.
Zott is a driven woman, but she also feels her life is out-of-control. Her ability to provide herself and her daughter structure at a time when women in the workforce are expected to hold certain roles, defer to their male colleagues, and act “respectable” is even more amazing. And her ability to inspire other women through a cooking show is just how change happens.
I won’t say much more about the mystery of Calvin because readers should uncover that for themselves.
Miranda Raison is an excellent narrator for this audiobook. She deftly moves between characters, brining nuance to their personalities through voice. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is more than a romance between scientists, it is an examination of the unseen bonds created between women, sometimes without acknowledgement and sometimes with rapturous applause. It is through chemistry and chain reaction that this novel brings forth its conclusion.
RATING: Cinquain
About the Author:
Bonnie Garmus is a copywriter and creative director who’s worked widely in the fields of technology, medicine, and education. She’s an open-water swimmer, a rower, and mother to two pretty amazing daughters. Born in California and most recently from Seattle, she currently lives in London with her husband and her dog, 99.
