BOOK REVIEW: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

A magical lesson of love, grief and grit centered in the periodic table.

I absolutely adored this book. My first read of my 12 books in 12 books by 12 friends challenge for 2023, and I can’t believe I put off reading it for so long! I can see why it was Barnes & Noble’s Book of the year and a Goodreads Choice Award Winner.

Taking place in 1960s California, Elizabeth Zott quickly became a hero in my eyes. As a scientist, a chemist, a woman trying to succeed in a man’s world, she rocked her community and eventually the status quo of all women.

This is a story of character and plot. Elizabeth drives the plot, which I’m excited to say is also very well developed. So, regardless of which you prefer there is substance in both that you can latch on to. And, honestly, there is so much to talk about other than plot that I may actually not discuss very much of the “action.”

Her character is one of a nonchalant, no nonsense at times almost flippant nature. While there are moments she may come across as arrogant, I feel it is more a confidence that doesn’t seem to always make sense. She just couldn’t imagine being anyone other than who she is or think differently than how she thinks. For this, I love her. She is unapologetically her even when she is mistreated, assaulted, judged and demeaned. Does her character grow, develop and evolve? I don’t really feel the answer is yes, surprisingly. But, let me explain! The reason she doesn’t really show a dynamic character change is because the world around her changes and adjusts to her.

Here’s the thing, I was not alive in the 1960s nor do I claim to understand any aspect of that era or the challenges that women faced. I do live in 2023 and recognize that there are still sexist ideals and certain careers are a little more difficult for women than others. Nor am I making any assertions as to the accuracy of Garmus’ portrayal of the era. I am simply looking at a character who has a trauma and grief filled youth that leads to creating an egocentric existence of self-preservation and self motivation. It served her well, even if that created a very small bubble that people rarely entered.

Sometimes I think," she said slowly, "that if a man were to spend a day being a woman in America, he wouldn't make it past noon.

Throughout the story and her love story with Calvin, you see her begin to let her guard down, making her susceptible to more pain and grief. Like any good story, that is exactly what she gets; however, she begins to learn how to mix the good and hopeful with the pain and grief.  I absolutely loved her relationship with Calvin. I loved Calvin and his passion for Elizabeth. His fight to preserve what they have to help her break out of that shelf of isolation melted my heart. There were times where I felt that she was a little too put-off-ish, but he never wavered, and you learn just how unwavering she was in her love for him.  No one ever understood them, but that’s part of what I loved about it. In reality, someone else’s relationship should be no one’s business but those involved in the relationship! Love doesn’t always make sense.

I am a big fan of a good found family trope, and this is a wonderful one. Elizabeth slowly builds her village without even realizing it is happening. It isn’t until the end of the book, where you see just how much these people are intertwined and dependent on each other. One of my favorite relationships is Elizabeth and Walter. They initially meet because Elizabeth’s daughter, Mad, is having slight issues with Walter’s daughter at school. This leads to Walter, a TV producer, offering Elizabeth a prime afternoon time slot cooking show, “Supper at Six.”

Walter literally had me laughing out loud. He’s complete exasperation with Elizabeth and her blatant disregard for anything and everything that even resembled mainstream bending to stereotypes or expectations, and never tell her what she should and shouldn’t do on her cooking show, unless it is to incorporate more scientific explanations on the chemistry of the food and the cooking process. I literally thought he would be the one having the heart attack! If you know, you know!

Whenever you start doubting yourself, whenever you feel afraid, just remember. Courage is the root of change and change is what we're chemically designed to do.

But, it wasn’t just Walter. It was Harriett, Mr. Mason, and Six-thirty (one of the best dogs I have ever read in a book). They just all came into her life when she needed them and remained there in a capacity that no one else would ever have been able to fill.

There is really only one thing that bothered me in the book. How Mad was portrayed. I’m not talking about her role as Elizabeth's four-year-old daughter, but the fact that she is FOUR not TWELVE! Mad is a freakingly smart little girl. Of course she is, the kitchen in her house was literally ripped out and replaced with a fully functioning chemical lab. However, she is still four!  She is not going to have the depth of conversations she did, and she probably would never have gone to the library by herself to research information about her family.

Thankfully, I don’t hold grudges on little things that I question in a book. Nothing stopped me from enjoying this read, and I found it hard to put it down. I read this one as an audiobook, and was excited that I had a six hour round trip excursion on the day I stated it. By the end of that first day of listening, I was already over halfway through!

Where does this land on my bookshelf?

Do you really have to ask?  Top shelf of course. I loved, loved, loved this book. I thought it was sweet, funny, powerful, and heartbreaking. I loved Garmus’s style and how she developed the story. We learned slowly why Elizabeth is the way she is, and I truly feel that the slow release of information made her character that much more realistic. I probably didn’t give Six-Thirty enough respect in this blog, but rest assured he was one of my favorite characters!  If you haven’t read this one yet, stop putting it off. It is well worth the read.

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