Why, oh why has it taken me so long to read this wonderful book? Lessons in Chemistry (Penguin Random House 2022) by debut author Bonnie Garmus is one of those books that is a number one global bestseller and you (or maybe it’s just me) avoids reading it because ‘it can’t be that great’. I’m always wrong, those popular books ARE always that great and I don’t know why I can’t simply learn my lesson.
Anyway, this book is an utter delight: warm, lively, endearing, moving, funny, feminist, feisty, thoughtful, sad, eccentric and eclectic. Set in the early 1960’s, it features chemist Elizabeth Zott, who is forced to deal with some very alarming and outdated (even for the 60’s) attitudes from her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute. From inappropriate advances to blatantly stealing her research, she faces it all with equanimity and poise. But she reluctantly resigns and takes up an offer to host a TV cooking show called Supper at Six. Elizabeth is determined that this will be about as far from a normal cooking show as possible. Catering for all the smart female minds that she knows fill her audience, she cooks using the science of chemistry, explaining recipes in a new, exciting and flamboyant way. Women around the country become addicted to her entertaining and educational way of cooking, and warm to her attitudes on feminism, religion, independence, equality and self-esteem. With her trusty dog Six-Thirty (who quite rightly has his own point of view) and a small but special family and trusted friends, Elizabeth forges her own path and expects everyone else to keep up. Her opinions cause not a little conflict and agitation too, which adds to the tension.
There is a deeper story here too, of connection and loss and grief and a precocious child and traumas past, but that must remain a secret until you read this book for yourself. Trust me, you will not regret it. Unputdownable, immersive, engaging, compelling, hilarious, thought-provoking, heartbreaking and moving. With rowing. And a dog. Joyful.