Book Number 6 - Lessons in Chemistry
How did I resist it for so long? Two reasons, the title, science was never my forte, looking back to my school days, my brain never seemed to be wired to comprehend anything scientific beyond basic biology, certainly not a branch that at an elementary level one was expected to make sense of the periodic table, where was my Miss Zott? if she'd been fronting the class I might have actually learned something.
Secondly, I'm always sceptical about books that on the surface appear to be massively hyped, my best reads have often been ones that have flown beneath the radar of the best seller lists.
I can't believe this was a first novel it was so accomplished. sublime in fact, never missing a beat in the narrative right from start to finish, the momentum drove it along, well for me anyway.
Never mind the man bashing drivel that is Barbie mooted now as being some sort of feminist inspiration, what every girl needs is an Elizabeth Zott to inspire her. Set against the late 50s, early 60s, here was a woman who fought mountains of male chauvinism and misogyny endeavouring to reach parity and be taken seriously by male colleagues, but never achieved that. Although satisfyingly at least she ended up having the last laugh.
Right from the very start, when the reader is introduced to Elizabeth, she is characterised as a maverick of her time, taking on everyone with her cool, logical tenacity as does her mini me daughter Madeline, or "Mad" as she is more commonly referred to. Characterised by her name, Mad, she is in the angry sense, when like her mother she fights her own mini battles facing down the banalities of the times mainly dished out as day to day school tasks by her narrow minded form teacher. . Mad is no ordinary child, like her mother fiercely clever, precocious and resourceful beyond her years. Completing Elizabeth's family set up, is Six Thirty a stray dog she acquires, again he is no ordinary dog, taught by Elizabeth he acquires a vast vocabulary and understands much of what is being said to him, has an acute sense of danger and can read human moods. All in all a somewhat Disneyesque dog with human qualities. A certain amount of suspension of belief is required as to SixThirty's extraordinary persona, but nevertheless I loved him along with the rest of the family.
Before I read the book, I knew the premise was that chemist, Elizabeth Zott, frustrated in her professional life to be taken seriously as a scientist, whilst ending up playing second fiddle to male colleagues who lacked her abilities, somehow ends up as tv cook, and in my mind I imagined she would morph into a version of our very own Delia Smith. But no, her cooking shows which eventually became a runaway success were actual lessons in chemistry. Casting my mind back to domestic science at school, very much a girl's subject then, so somehow the science part of it wasn't emphasised, it should have been, because the molecular composition of food and how it changes with temperature is how she taught her captive audience and how she makes perfect sense of all of that and even throws some social science into the mix as well.
Into Elizabeth's scientific male dominated world enters the love of her life, Calvin Evans, who again bucks the trend of all of Elizabeth's male counterparts, in his empathy and encouragement, always treating her as an equal. I don't want too much on that score, spoilers!
I loved the book it went way beyond my expectations it was a beautifully constructed, thought provoking novel. Bonnie Garmus wraps it up with an ending so perfect, albeit with a deeply sad revelation, I had tears, but ultimately with a positive outcome for the heroine all women would want to be rooting for.
Only February, but definitely my best book so far and quite possibly best book of the year!
