This is one of the most praiseworthy books I have read this year. In the story, the main character, a Chinese-American who feels run-over by the expectation of the culture she was brought up in and then the demands of her work in the male-dominated field of Organic Chemistry.

The protagonist cannot commit to a marriage with her boyfriend Eric who also is in her field but a little older and a lot more successful, and neither can she keep a cool head in the lab when her experiments do not work the way she wants them to work. After losing her cool in the lab and breaking lab materials, she goes on a medical leave and starts drinking, and the plot begins to take shape after this point.

What first stands out for a reader, beginning from the first page, is the deep literary voice of the main character who constantly comes up with serious introspection and the brilliant metaphoric use of her scientific knowledge. As a strongly character-driven story, however, Chemistry has little action but a generous amount of introspection, and still, it manages to keep most any reader interested and involved by inserting scientific facts into psychological observations. In fact, the narration is so spectacular that it is easy to mistake this fictional story for a memoir.

The protagonist suffers from anxiety and stress forced upon her by her parents, her upbringing, and her own ambition. Plus, she is not too sure of herself and of what she really wants. As the result, her self-worth suffers and she finds herself in complicated crises situations. Her pushy parents’ reactions when she doesn’t live up to their criteria can especially stir indignation to add to the very emotional quality of this story. The winning point is, this emotional quality is never sappy or melodramatic. Yet, as a reader, I felt deeply for the main character even though she remained unnamed throughout the book.

The character depictions of not only the protagonist but also the secondary characters--such as her boyfriend Eric, her best friend who is a successful doctor, and her parents--are fascinating and credible, too.

The story is told in the present tense with the use of exquisite diction, excellent timing, and somber observations. I would love to read more of this author’s work in the future.

everything.

very sorry for the main character. I think she needed extensive psychotherapy.

is Weike Wang who has a chemistry degree, a doctorate, and an MFA. Her fiction has been published in several literary magazines.

I enjoyed and admired every word and line. Just the way she expressed her anguish is astounding. Although there isn't much external action, the internal action is intricate and rich.

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Created Jul 12, 2018 at 5:39pm • Submit your own review...