Literary fiction
Chemistry
Debut
We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Weike Wang, on your first book!
Quick take
Seeing the world through the lens of chemistry is novel, if only as a reminder that the messiness of life follows no particular formula.
Synopsis
Three years into her graduate studies at a demanding Boston university, the unnamed narrator of this nimbly wry, concise debut finds her one-time love for chemistry is more hypothesis than reality. She's tormented by her failed research'”and reminded of her delays by her peers, her advisor, and most of all by her Chinese parents, who have always expected nothing short of excellence from her throughout her life. But there's another, nonscientific question looming: the marriage proposal from her devoted boyfriend, a fellow scientist, whose path through academia has been relatively free of obstacles, and with whom she can't make a life before finding success on her own.
Eventually, the pressure mounts so high that she must leave everything she thought she knew about her future, and herself, behind. And for the first time, she's confronted with a question she won't find the answer to in a textbook: What do I really want? Over the next two years, this winningly flawed, heroine learns the formulas and equations for a different kind of chemistry'”one in which the reactions can't be quantified, measured, and analyzed; one that can be studied only in the mysterious language of the heart. Taking us deep inside her scattered, searching mind, here is a brilliant new literary voice that astutely juxtaposes the elegance of science, the anxieties of finding a place in the world, and the sacrifices made for love and family.
Free sample
Chemistry
From chapter one:
The boy asks the girl a question. It is a question of marriage. Ask me again tomorrow, she says, and he says, That's not
how this works.
Diamond is no longer the hardest mineral known to man. New Scientist reports that lonsdaleite is. Lonsdaleite is 58 percent harder than diamond and forms only when meteorites smash themselves into Earth.
* * *
The lab mate says to make a list of pros and cons.
Write it all down, prove it to yourself.
She then nods sympathetically and pats me on the arm.
The lab mate is a solver of hard problems. Her desk is next to mine but is neater and more result-producing.
Big deal, she says of her many, many publications and doesn't take herself too seriously, is busy but not that busy, talks about things other than chemistry.
I find her outlook refreshing, yet strange. If I were that accomplished, I would casually bring up my published papers in conversation. Have you read so-and-so? Because it is quite worth your time. The tables alone are beautiful and well formatted.
I have only one paper out. The tables are in fact very beautiful, all clear and double-spaced line borders. All succinct and informative titles.
Somewhere I read that the average number of readers for a scientific paper is 0.6.
Why I love it
Leigh Haber
O, The Oprah Magazine
During some days - and countless insomniac nights - my mind plays an endless reel. It spins from work nightmares, to worries about my sons, to random thoughts that pop in and out. I try and calm them through yogic breathing, and sometimes that works, but because I’m an anxious person, about 75% of the time I just have to let it play out, until I fall asleep or am distracted by something that takes me out of myself.
Weike Wang’s debut novel Chemistry is like a master class in this kind of free floating anxiety. If that sounds like a chore of a book to read, strangely, it’s the opposite. It’s a laugh-out loud marvel. But that doesn’t mean it’s not intense - and that wry intensity is underscored by Wang’s writing style, a kind of staccato on the page. Wang’s spare prose makes all of her emotions - both happy and sad - pack all the more punch.
The unnamed protagonist is a budding scientist who’s getting tired of her chosen profession, unable to make any breakthroughs in her doctoral research. She also can’t bring herself to marry her boyfriend of many years, who may or may not move away depending on her answer. We are guests inside her head, as she ping pongs from nervous thought to nervous thought while trying to figure out what she truly wants in life, cracking us up and reminding us to laugh at ourselves as we twist ourselves into pretzels on a daily basis. Sprinkled throughout are tidbits about chemistry that double as metaphors for all sorts of human emotions'”I loved them and I’m definitely not a science girl. Seeing the world through the lens of chemistry is novel, if only as a reminder that the messiness of life follows no particular formula. And sometimes that’s okay.
Member ratings (2,980)
Jessica W.
Chicago, IL
This book pushes you to think about why we make the choices we make. I also love the juxtaposition of Asian stereotypes in the face of real life choices. Cheeky and funny and isn’t wrapped up neatly.
Kelly D.
Jenkintown , PA
This was a quick read but very well done. I lived through something similar and the author does a great job encapsulating what it’s like to find your way again. It takes time, but is very possible :)
Caleb B.
San Diego, CA
It took me a while to adjust to Wang's style of writing. But once I learned to separate her thought processes and the jumping back and forth from different ideas, I was able to really enjoy this book
Kimberly F.
Charlotte, NC
As a chemistry student, I thought she was writing straight from my life and mind. First book I haven't counted down the pages to the end - the last line was a beautiful punch in the stomach. Amazing!
Brooke W.
Chicago, IL
This book perfectly captured any moment in life where uncertainty underlies even the things that make us happiest, pulling everything into question. It made me laugh, cry and feel grateful to be alive