Chemistry
A novel
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- 9,99 €
Publisher Description
PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD WINNER • WHITING AWARD WINNER • Smart, moving, and funny, a unique coming-of-age story about a quirky, overworked narrator who seems to be on the cusp of a perfect life but finds herself on a new path of discoveries about everything she thought she knew.
"Told in a hilarious deadpan that recalls Gish Jen and Nora Ephron." —O, The Oprah Magazine
At first glance, the life of the narrator of Weike Wang’s debut novel seems ideal: 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. Soon it all becomes too much and her life plan veers off course....
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Weiki Wang doesn’t name the protagonist in her debut novel for a reason: she's every individual on the verge of adulthood who’s experienced indecisiveness and a loss of faith. She’s also, in many ways, Wang herself; both women have Chinese-immigrant parents and Harvard Ph.D’s, which explains why the writing—suffused with sharp humor and scientific facts—is so fantastically authentic. The story starts with an awkward marriage proposal and dominos into a series of crises. Wang's deadpan tone adds levity. But like the best stand-up, Chemistry is shaded with darkness and loaded with truth.
