I love this book!  The main character finds herself at a point where she needs to make some active choices about what she wants instead of just going along with what her parents or her boyfriend want because that's easy. It's a relief to read a book with such a smart, funny heroine who's also allowed to be frustrated even though she's not sure what to do to fix it.

I think of myself as being pretty smart, but it turned out what I was sure I wanted to do at 16 was incredibly wrong for me. And the protagonist (never named) of Weike Wang's Chemistry is in kind of a similar boat. Pursuing a Ph.D. in, of course, chemistry at a prestigious New England university, she has a bit of a meltdown as her experiment fails to produce results. Although she does love the field, she begins to question her choices about everything in life as she takes time off of her program.

There's not a lot of "plot" in this book, really The protagonist is trying to decide what to do about her long-term relationship with a fellow chemist who has proposed to her but she's not sure she wants to marry, trying to figure out how to support herself without her graduate student stipend, supporting her best friend through pregnancy and early motherhood and marriage crises, and figuring out when and how and if to tell her Chinese immigrant parents that she's not in school anymore. It is this last matter that most preoccupies her, and much of the book is made up of her recollections of her childhood, of her parents' relationships with each other and with her, of the pressure she feels to succeed in the ways that they value in order to validate their sacrifices. 

Stories like these illustrate the power of "own voices": an Asian-American woman telling the story of an Asian-American woman. A lot of non-Asians look to them as a so-called "model minority", hard workers somehow naturally gifted at math and science. Of course the reality behind that is more complicated (it's as much a result of the kinds of immigrants that tend to leave Asia behind to travel to America as much as anything else), and Wang pulls back the curtain on what might seem like a neat little family of a scientist, a housewife, and their scientist daughter to show the internal workings that are just as messy as anyone's home life. 

That being said, evaluating Chemistry on its novelistic merits reveals a book that is good but not great, and quite obviously a debut, though a promising one. Our nameless narrator is at times rather formless, and mostly reacts to the events around her rather than being proactive. She's very unsure of herself after breaking out a track that she found herself in more than chose, and while that's understandable, it makes her hard to really get enough of a feel of for to connect with much. But Wang's writing is sure and emotionally true, and I enjoyed this book and would recommend it, especially to 20somethings that are wondering if they're on the right track.

This is an insightful view of chemistry and its place in academia. The protagonist finds  herself at sea when her career is turned on its head with parents, boyfriend and friends questioning her choices. She must discover what she really wants in life. The pace moves along, the characters are well-drawn and the science aspect is wonderfully portrayed.

I loved this book! It was such a fantastic look at a typical woman's story - whether to get married, what's her career, how does she relate to her parents - but from a new point of view: it's not usually a Chinese woman, and it's not usually framed by the field of science. Despite this, the unnamed narrator's perspective was still relatable and realistic, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting a look inside her head. I hope to someday see more titles like this one.

The unnamed narrator of this story is a chemistry Ph.D. student attending an Ivy League University, who has spent her whole life living up to her parents’ expectations. When her research project turns out to be less promising than she thought and her boyfriend proposes, she faces an existential crisis and embarks on the never-ending journey of self-discovery.

Written in an epigrammatic style, intertwining scientific facts and the lyricism of life, this novel is raw and warm, light and, at the same time, surprisingly complex. Her heroine, an Asian young woman in the scientific field, is the flag-bearer of different minorities who, in an attempt to decipher life, experiences the tension between family determinism and self-affirmation, between solitude and togetherness. Looking at reality through her somewhat innocent, yet sharp and perceptive gaze, is absolutely fascinating. With its mesmerizing and unique narrative style, Weike’s debut novel is a thrilling discovery, a breath of fresh air, and an interesting case of contemporary women’s writing.   

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing a preview copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Excruciatingly dull, with an unlikeable narrator devoid of emotion or a decent plotline.

I inhaled this book in one day, my favorite way to read a story. I would have given this 5 stars but I have had my fill of complex, conflicted unhappy characters. I always finish a story like this feeling shallow. Why do these women (and it is usually women) turn every decision into high drama? Why can't they ever pick a path and move forward? Fortunately in this story, through the memories and anecdotes related by the narrator to her analyst and  her readers, we gain insights into the dynamics of her family life and history. In many ways her relationship with her parents evokes all the books and movies about modern Chinese families I have ever read, for example, The Joy Luck Club. I would like my colleague who came to the United States from China as a young woman to read this and tell me her reaction. Surely not all Chinese marriages  are sacrificed at the alter of success. 
In general the story was well-written and held my interest. The ending gave a glimmer of hope to,those of us who need closure, but truthfully, I'm not waiting for a conventional happy ending.. I'll put it in a class with Lab Girl and The Signature of All Things, in which women of science reveal themselves, but in this case a love of science doesn't seem as powerful a force as in the aforementioned books.

My opinions are my own. 
I chose this book as I could relate the the story line  straight away, both from an oriental background and both in the field of chemistry. I found that I related to the characters more ways than one but also pitied the character as well. I enjoyed her journey to try and find her own path in the more ideal situation called life- that sometimes it doesn't always work out. A good read :)

I enjoyed the story, but the writing style was not my style and made it difficult for me to follow a lot of the time.

This is not the book I expected to read. I picked it out thinking it was going to be full of nerdy humour and there is certainly some of that here.

“The optimistic sees the glass half full. The pessimist sees the glass half empty. The chemist sees the glass completely full, half in liquid state and half in gaseous, both of which are probably poisonous.”

But what really makes this book something special is the beautiful description of the central character’s struggle with life’s (and parental) expectations, a stunted career and a failing relationship. The depression and loneliness is heartfelt and emotional. Another unusual but welcome aspect to this story is the way everything just kind of continues on – there’s no great cathartic Moment or Turning Point – life just goes on to the incredibly sudden end of the book.

Reading this back I’m really not making the points I want to – just get it, read it (it’s only short) and you won’t be disappointed I promise!

5/5

This novel by Weike Wang follows a twenty-something female chemist who is pursuing her Ph.D. as she has a crisis that can best be described as a failure to launch.  At it's best, this novel is funny and well-written and accurately describes the slow downhill spiral of depression.  But, at times, it is too navel-gazing and doesn't seem to really go anywhere, plot-wise.

I read a bit of this and then set it aside. The writing style didn't work for me.

I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. I devoured it within a day because I couldn't put it down. Weike Wang's writing is a revelation.

The narrator of this book is a doctoral student in chemistry struggling to manage life in the lab, her relationship with her boyfriend Eric, and her relationship with her Chinese immigrant parents and their expectations. These elements work as a catalyst to fuel her growing depression, which in turn destabilizes the entire equation.  It is an honest portrait of the interplay between isolation and connection one feels as a student/child/partner trying to find a place in the world, especially when it is difficult to find a place in oneself.

The language is BEAUTIFUL. Poetic and sparing, almost vignette-like in its sequences, and always poignant. The narrator has a train of thought you get swept up in. I look forward to more from this author!!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (And I will be honest, it's one of the best books I've reviewed for them. An unbelievably pleasant surprise.)

I disliked the book but  couldn't put it down.  Kept hoping it would improve.  It didn't. Comparisons to Lab Girl are absurd.