Review: Chemistry

Chemistry by Weike Wang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Saw this in Jess' year-end round up at Don't Mind the Mess and picked it up at the library. It was great! On the short side, and sparse in its detail, but also very carefully written. One of those books that you finish only to realize that you learned more about the characters than you realized, and that you doubt there was a spare syllable used anywhere. Reminded me somewhat of When the Emperor Was Divine in that way.

This is about a Chemistry PhD candidate who is in love with another researcher. She comes from a traditionally strict Chinese-American household, while her boyfriend is from a loving Midwestern home. Her struggles with her research begin to overwhelm her just as her boyfriend's career begins to soar. He wants to marry her, but she worries about her own career, her ability to have a happy marriage, and what, ultimately, she wants. As he gets impatient waiting, her life begins to spiral and she panics. The following two years of her life are chronicled, as she begins to work out how to deal with her childhood, her failed career, and how to accept love - or not.

A book I was sad to have end...

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