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, disarmingly insightful 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.
Honestly I really liked this book! When I first started reading it I was really concerned that I wouldn’t like it. But the more I read it the more I couldn’t put it down.
This debut novel is a cautionary tale (if you will) for those who might put too much pressure on their children to succeed academically, or maybe you push yourself too hard in certain areas of your life.
The unnamed narrator of this debut novel by Weike Wang is a PhD student studying Chemistry at a university in Boston. She has been studying for several years and has yet to have a research breakthrough that will lead her to her ultimate goal…completing her dissertation, receiving her PhD, and hopefully getting a job. Much to the frustration of her Chinese parents, who accept nothing less than success from her; they want nothing to do with excuses, delays, explanations…basically if she doesn’t get her PhD…she is no longer their daughter.Oh and did I mention she lives with her boyfriend and her dog….something else her parents don’t know (the boyfriend not the dog).
As if all of these academic challenges aren’t enough for this poor girl, her longtime boyfriend Eric has proposed marriage. Now you would think this would be easy. She either loves him or she doesn’t. So she’s either going to say yes or she’s going to say no. But it’s not that simple. Eric is a fellow scientist who had followed his academic dreams without any challenges and he is on the cusp of getting a teaching job somewhere….that isn’t Boston. And he doesn’t understand why she can’t accept the possibility that perhaps chemistry and maybe science as a whole…just isn’t for her. The only thing he is sure of is how RIGHT they are for each other. So he also can’t fathom why she won’t accept his proposal and go with him wherever his new job takes him and ultimately stop letting her parents rule her life.
But how can she just give up her dreams like that? And to follow a boy! Could they really build a life together?
The pressure all starts to become too much to bear for our unnamed narrator and she makes a decision that drastically changes everything. Leaving her with no idea what she wants out of her career, relationship, from her parents or even herself. Should she become a teacher? Should she marry Eric and follow him to wherever his job takes him? Should she tell her parents how she really feels or continue to work and finally make them proud of her? The possibilities are endless and the dilemmas she faces turn her into a completely different person that she doesn’t recognize or even like.
You’ll have to read it to find out what happens with that!
So a little bit about the style of writing. The author has the narrator (who is unnamed) telling the story in such a style that would lead one to believe that English is not her first language. So at time she is vary stilted, but it honestly works really well in this novel. This character doesn’t really come off as a warm and fuzzy type of person, however we are given small glimpses of her vulnerability and emotional side when she talks about her parents, especially her mother. She defends her to no end even though she probably shouldn’t.
This quirky book might not be for everyone. But as our narrator attempts to look for answers to her problems in life, she is also finding her way. It’s comical, emotional and sometimes flawed.
Just don’t let the title trick you. Though there are small bursts of chemistry lessons in here I promise it’s nothing too intense and it won’t give you flash backs to high school. (Though there is a mention of organic chemistry so if you took that in college like I did you might have a flash back from that! Haha)
Happy reading!
Shelby Lynn Hawk 