Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Chemistry

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Chemistry by Weike Wang

4 reviews

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

funny reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is an older backlist read, but one that I have seen lots of positive reviews for over the years. I've been back and forth on deciding whether or not to read it, if the blurb made it seem like I'd be interested in it, or not. After all the hemming and hawing, I finally felt like I was in the right mood.

What Goodreads has to sayre: a blurb for this novel: "At first glance, the quirky, overworked narrator of this novel seems to be on the cusp of a perfect life: she is studying for a prestigious PhD in chemistry that will make her Chinese parents proud (or at least satisfied), and her successful, supportive boyfriend has just proposed to her. But instead of feeling hopeful, she is wracked with ambivalence. The long demanding hours at the lab have created an exquisite pressure cooker, and she doesn't know how to answer the marriage question. When it all becomes too much and her life plan veers off course, she finds herself on a new path of discoveries about everything she thought she knew."

If for no other reason, the writing made me glad I picked this up. It was superb. The narrative voice was compelling, super unique, and had a heavy-with-forward-momentum feel (like a stream of consciousness style, almost). Wang seamlessly and creatively weaves together Chinese proverbs/language, realities of grad school, observations of life/the people around you, chemistry/science/math, random trivia style facts (many as teaching examples used as part of tutoring sessions), and snippets of conversations and memories and experiences. The connecting of facts/science and thoughts and instances of life that are woven together in ways that seem like they shouldn’t connect but then…do, is spectacular. It is rhythmic and poetic, the way the themes and language cycle and circle back around and towards each other. And all the while, it's unfolding the tale of our narrator: her inner monologue/thoughts, her life/childhood, the parents and their stories/pasts, her experiences with and hearing about her boyfriends family (and how different it is than her own), her educational and career trajectory, the life of her (best) friend, and more. Creating a character that the reader feels that they know intimately, despite her namelessness and suspension in a world that is so real, yet also feels a bit like something we're looking at through a magnifying glass or like, within a snow globe. So good. Oh! And the double meaning of the title (the science and the love) is *chef's kiss.*

Topically, there were some things that hit a little close to home. Not career or relationship wise, the obvious parts of the narrator's life that are causing such internal strife and indecision. But the overall vibe. The idea that one should have had everything figured out already, that there are external expectations of success that you are fighting to meet while internally not sure those are measurements that apply to or mean anything to you, and the emotional pressure-cooker that can result. That deeper level of recognizance hit me hard. I think perhaps it's generational? I know a number of Millennials who have similar thoughts and feelings about life and milestones and "growing up." Or perhaps it is more universal, but no one else has been willing to so openly admit and talk about it. Who knows. Regardless, I was definitely invested in our narrator's journey. Watching the buildup of expectations and microaggressions and feelings of self-inadequacy and disconnection from heritage/identity and drifting apart in a relationship that the narrator recognizes individually, but can’t quite put all together to understand why that break with her real/normal/curated life is happening, is really something. Also, the best friend gave a nice foil to the narrator's situation. A person with a similar background and choices, who ends up in a very different place, which gives some nice perspective. It also highlights the ways that comparison can creep in, despite all our best efforts, to both our advantage and disadvantage.

The ending was a weird sort of cliffhanger. It's unresolved in the way that this situation probably would be, at least for quite some time. The narrator has a lot they are still working through, figuring out, coming to terms with. And yet, there is at least one small decision made at the end, which is a hopeful sign of more to come. But with no clear resolution or timeline to provide the reader comfort or guidance. It's not an easy ending. And I can see some people being frustrated with it - it felt almost abrupt - but for me, it fit.

This was such a unique and creative and fascinating read. The writing was the highlight for me, as I said. But the cultural aspects and character study presented absolutely held their own. If you, like me, aren't sure if this book is for you or not, I'd encourage you to give it a go. It's a quick read. And hopefully it'll surprise you as pleasantly as it did me.

"I find it interesting how often beauty is shown to make the objects around it feel worse."

"Studies have shown that the brain feels exclusion not like a broken heart but like a broken bone. It is physical pain that the brain feels."

"Theorems are only theorems because they have never been proven wrong, but they have also never been proven right. It is all a great big loophole."

"The optimist sees the glass half full. The pessimist sees the glass half empty. The chemist sees the glass completely full, half in liquid state and half in gaseous, both of which are probably poisonous."

"The only difference between a poison and a cure is dosage. Drink too much water and you will die. Inhale water and you will die as well."

"I once thought I would have all the answers by now." (But like, OMG, how relatable.)

"A hallmark of science is setting out to discover one thing and then discovering something else."

"Science is not a panacea; activities such as human interactions are difficult to answer with this method."

"Pure crystals are those that have perfectly repeating units. You told me this after I asked you what you found beautiful about chemistry. But what of the repeating units in life? Most often imperfect."

Content Warnings

auudrey's review

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

bloomingpear's review

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

melaniereadsbooks's review

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challenging emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book is extremely sad. The synopsis makes it seem like this is a light hearted and funny rom-com, but it's not that at all. This is a story about someone who is burned out, depressed, and in a crappy relationship. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, and everyone around her makes her feel guilty for it. The narrator's voice is humorous, but it's not light hearted at all. I did like this book and actually really enjoyed the MC's voice, but I didn't like the plot at all.

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