Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Lessons in Chemistry encompasses love, cooking and actual chemistry. The novel begins with an introduction to the protagonist, Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant and independent woman going through the motions of life.

Caring for her child prodigy daughter, Madeline (real name Mad), Elizabeth is permanently depressed. Though set in the 1960s, the protagonist has issues and challenges women face today, which makes this book a relevant read. The flashbacks to the 1950s set the scene for the reader. How did a woman so ahead of her time, so creative and bright end up unhappy, cast as a tv show personality?

Enduring a difficult childhood with toxic parents, she rises above her early hardships. In graduate school, Elizabeth suffers a traumatic attack, and when she attempts to defend herself against a misogynistic professor, even the police doubt her version of events. When asked if she had any regrets about the whole incident, Elizabeth replies, “Pencils.” You must read the book to understand the reference, but a No. 2 pencil tucked in her chignon creates her signature look. In a roundabout way, that’s how our hero finds herself at the Hastings Research Institute.

Set against the backdrop of sexism and workplace inequality, Elizabeth meets scientist Calvin Evans, a brilliant but lonely curmudgeon. He holds grudges, has no living family members and is a rising star at Hastings. Besides chemistry, rowing is his other passion. Quickly they bond; science and romance mix in a recipe headed for marriage. They move in together, discuss biology and live passionately. Theirs is a deep love of shared feelings and interests.

Only one problem, Elizabeth doesn’t believe in or want marriage or children.

Then tragedy strikes. Elizabeth digs deep to find inner strength and move forward. In a time when most women attended college or entered the workplace seeking their MRS degree, she is the epitome of a modern, intelligent and hardworking female. Unfortunately, her male colleagues are intimidated by her good looks and brains while her female co-workers are unsupportive and jealous.

Enter Walter Pine, producer of local television shows with a hole in his afternoon programming lineup. Elizabeth agrees to take on the new show Supper at Six. Unlike other cooking show hosts, Elizabeth is serious and straightforward. Immediately, her audience and at home viewers are smitten with her chemistry expertise (after all, cooking is a formula) and appeal. With her intellectual approach to cooking, Elizabeth Zott teaches bored homemakers how to become their best selves. She promotes change and discovers her own abilities to make a life for herself despite the unpredictable turn of events.

Fast forward a few years, and Elizabeth has become everything she never wanted: a single mom and phenomenally successful host of a cooking show. She is a household name; even the president tunes in to view Supper at Six! Madeline flourishes under the watchful eye of babysitter Harriet Sloane, a 50-something unhappily married neighbor. The house is transformed into a kitchen laboratory, where even making a morning cup of coffee is a scientific experiment in flavor. Readers learn about the tragic circumstances that separate Elizabeth and Cal (no spoilers), and life goes on, far from the career path she wanted to go down.

Meanwhile, Mad learns that she knows nothing about her family background, and her inquisitive nature leads her to discover important secrets; that is the mystery plot twist in this book. Ultimately, Elizabeth finds herself embroiled in the discovery of Cal’s parentage.

The book unfolds in the omnipresent narrator style, so readers hear Madeline’s voice, Walter’s point of view, Harriet’s thoughts. Even the dog, Six-Thirty, gives his perspective, especially when Elizabeth was pregnant and after her delivery. “Thirty minutes later, Elizabeth walked up the driveway, the baby tucked snugly against her chest, her heart pounding with relief at the sight of Six-Thirty, panniers still on, sitting like a sentry at the front door.

“Oh my god, Six-Thirty panted, oh my god oh my god you’re alive you’re alive oh my god I was so worried.”

She bent down and showed him the bundle.

“The creature was—sniff-a girl! …Hello, Creature! It’s me! Six-Thirty!”

Delivered in an entertaining style, this novel is both humor-filled and bittersweet. It will have you laughing one minute, crying the next. With believable dialogue, the cast of characters’ perspectives add the sharp flavor to this clever novel. Do yourself a favor: watch the television series after you read the book.