Chemistry
A novel
-
-
4.4 • 87 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
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.
Customer Reviews
Why have I waited so long to read this?
This book has been on my want to read list for years. I’ve been doing some heavy reading lately and wanted to get out of the dark side with politics being in such a horrid shape. I LOVED it. The narrator, an immigrant Chinese girl/woman, seems to me to be neurodivergent—very literal. I loved her, though she drove me crazy she often had me laughing out loud. At other times her story is very poignant, her up-bring being so unlike that of those who grew up here. She’s very intelligent yet very naive. She’s learning who she is and who she isn’t, who her parents were and who they aren’t, and that nothing is set in stone and no one’s life is without stress and disappointment and that you have to develop a strong backbone if you are to survive. I enjoyed following her journey which is open-ended. I hope the author revisits her in her adulthood. I’d love to hear from her again.
So good
I loved the voice in this book, and truly enjoyed reading it.