A review by oolawuyi_
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

4.0

I really liked Lessons in Chemistry! I think it is very witty and its playful style pairs really well with a lot of what the author was trying to do. For example, from the anthropomorphic dog, to the genius four year-old and the main character that is an expert in five or more fields of science, and even the antagonists that are described vaguely like characters in Roald Dahl books, none of the characters feel particularly real. They pull from real experiences many of us can relate to in some way but it helps create an interesting, almost satirical, quality to the book as the author exposes and pokes fun at what it’s like to just exist as a woman in a patriarchal society. You can be a genius but no one will still begin to believe you’re smart enough to do your job, you can be extremely logical or practical, but somehow you’re still a problem because you’re not emotional enough. Basically (like Harriet’s character states), no amount of change will ever make women worthy in patriarchy and the book points out the insanity of it really well.

However, the books has two significant problems for me. The first, which is one I think many other reviewers have pointed out, is that the book deals with very important themes such as gender based discrimination, sexual harassment and assault, homophobia etc. but often does so in a graphic way that it is frankly unnecessary for what is essentially a comedy. While at the beginning, the scenes seem like necessary character background, but as the book goes on there are so many more instances of or references to sexual harassment that are gratuitously thrown in there.

Additionally, another central idea in this book is Elizabeth’s depression, but it is weirdly abandoned at the end.

Are we meant to infer that her quitting her job helped her depression or continuing her work in a biogenesis helped or is she just still depressed? Either way

I would have liked a little more on it. Even the storyline we did get a resolution to felt rushed and could have been fleshed out better.