Elizabeth Zott is a trailblazing female scientist who is trying to establish herself as a research chemist in the 1960s. She’s working in an all-male science lab and as a result, nobody takes her seriously. Infuriatingly, male colleagues pass off her work as their own.
When she starts a relationship with the scientific genius, Calvin Evans, it only makes things worse as her envious colleagues assume he’s the real brains behind her work.
(As an aside, both Elizabeth and Calvin have strong autistic traits, but don’t seem to suffer any disabling effect from them. As the mum of an autistic teen, this made me curious about the author’s intentions.)
Fast forward a few years later, and Elizabeth is a single Mum who has inexplicably landed a role on a TV cooking show, Supper at Six, where she uses her platform to teach science and to challenge women to follow their own path.
Lessons in Chemistry is a mostly fun and original read, with a few unexpected twists that keep it interesting. It tackles big issues like sexism, misogyny and sexual abuse while keeping a light tone. I wasn’t alive in the 1950s or 60s, but I did wonder if Elizabeth’s entirely modern, progressive values were realistic for a woman who was born in 1930s Alabama. There is also a point of view from a dog, named Six-Thirty, who has profound knowledge of abstract concepts such as philosophy and the writings of Proust.
Trigger warning: this book contains scenes of sexual assault.
-Katrina Roe, RRL Administration Centre
