Lessons in Chemistry
Fiction
Penguin Books, Limited
2023
I think dad bought me this book for Christmas a year or so ago, but I don’t really remember to be honest. I say this mostly because I was a a little hesitant at first — historically I haven’t liked plots with assault or abuse of women in them and this story leads pretty strongly with those themes. Definitely give this one a miss if those things are a trigger for you. I’m not even sure why I like this book, terrible things keep happening to characters I am sure the author intends for me to care about, but they’re told I’m such a charming manner that I kind of just kept going. It’s weird.
Ultimately I think I like this book because the main character, Elizabeth, is so likable. She’s persistent, strongly principled, slightly autistic, and a force of nature. Despite all the terrible things she encounters, she just keeps grinding along. The universe isn’t super into this behavior to be honest, and that drives a lot of the plot. If she was willing to slot into her assigned role as a 1950’s house wife she would have a much easier time and this would be a much more boring book.
So overall — I liked this one a lot, but its not for everyone.