Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus - Review

When a book garners over 2.9 lakh reviews in amazon portal alone, the need for judgement becomes unnecessary but the part that blows someone's mind is that it’s the author's debut novel. Certainly rare for a debut novel to be such a superhit amongst fiction lovers, maybe it’s Bonnie’s passion in open water swimming, rowing, copy writing and creative direction that’s manifested itself into a bold and outstanding storyline. 

Setup in the backdrop of midwestern US state of Iowa and during the 1950's era, the female folks were confined within the limits of household duties which was the norm. In the given context, protagonist Elizabeth Zott proves to be an outlier that was far from the social boundaries of what a male’s counterpart is expected to be. She was ambitious, smart, confrontational while being excessively bold and on top of it being a working professional in a scientific field meant she had all the traits that the society detests in a female.

On the other hand, Calvin Evans was an outstanding scientist well recognized by the community for his intellectual prowess and contributions. Given his celebrity status, Calvin was able to set self serving rules and leash strong influence around his work environment. None of his subordinates, colleagues or even senior employees ever tried to disobey Calvin’s order, mostly they didn’t possess the arsenal to counter him and importantly many didn’t desire to be a victim of his grudges. 

However, Elizabeth was daring and wasn’t the one who would budge to someone’s bullying. Both begin to encounter situations that put them into head-on collisions and neither wishes to retreat. The first element of chemistry begins to surface between the two of them, a repulsive initial reaction is soon followed by an unavoidable attraction and before the couple even realize, intimacy takes center stage. The equation between the two lights up the flame of gossip mongers within the organisation but the pair proceed undeterred.  

When both rewind their clocks, the hardships associated in both their lives were evident. Calvin had a hard time growing up in an christian missionary school set up for orphan adolescent boys while Elizabeth’s childhood was around a father practising religious quackery and a mother who completely absconded the family for a better partner. Even her loving and care taking elder brother committed suicide, immersing her in a state of trauma. 

Having experienced a hard upbringing, both decide to pursue their professional ambitions without getting married but prefer to stay as live-in partners, a practice that was far ahead of their times. Supreme proficiency in the chosen field of work meant that careers were aligned for progress however fate had a different say in their lives. On a fine evening, Calvin is killed in an accident and to make matters worse, Elizabeth discovers that she is pregnant out of wedlock.   

Elizabeth’s life takes a completely different turn and is subjected to animosity all around her. She gets fired for inappropriate advancements with a senior colleague, findings due to her years of hard research are copyrighted to a senior, depleting financial resources and the emotionally painful part of dealing with progression in pregnancy and eventually delivery all by herself.   

As Elizabeth was figuring out ways to earn a paycheck, serendipity struck in her life and an opportunity to host a cooking show during the late afternoon hours opened up. A comedy of negotiations between the show director and Elizabeth takes place, leading to a brand new version of cooking show that taught chemistry along the way. Elizabeth follows no cue card which infuriates the show director and delivers the show completely in her style. Surprisingly, the show captures the imagination of the female folklore and is deemed a super hit.

What transpires post the new career trajectory of Elizabeth and how she unearth’s the hidden part of Calvin’s biological family forms the rest of the storyline. 

Bonnie Garmus delivers a gripping and fascinating debut novel.