Once in a while, a book comes along that makes us rethink the roles of men and women on Earth. Didn’t God make them as equal spiritual beings, asks ARJUN PEREIRA
This unusual and riveting novel makes you ponder about the status and plight of girls and women in both the Western and Eastern hemispheres. The plot is set in Southern California in the 1960s and this Americana tale starts off with the protagonist, Elizabeth Zott practising complex experiments in several chemistry laboratories, in the course of her work at the Hastings Research Institute in Southern California.
The premise is quite bland on the surface, but things start to go awry when you realise the discrimination, unfairness and hardships Elizabeth Zott has to face as the only female chemist in the Hastings Research Institute. Her professional contributions are continuously questioned and she is regularly prevented from carrying out any groundbreaking research in abiogenesis because the lead scientists of the institute, including its head, Dr. Robert Donatti do not want to give credence to her work and they don’t want to take her seriously as well. In short, Dr. Donatti symbolises the typical sexist man of the early ‘60s.
It is at this time that another key character, the eccentric, but sensitive Dr Calvin Evans, the institute’s star chemist and a summa cum laude and Nobel prize nominee, makes an appearance. It is because of his work that donors are ever willing to make grants and contributions to the Hastings Research Institute, the only source of funds that ensures that the institute survives and thrives in the long run.
By a twist of fate, Zott and Evans’ paths cross several times leading to a feisty romance between the two. Their romance however, is cut short tragically with Evan’s untimely passing while Zott is pregnant with their child.
What makes the novel special for it to be named the Book of the Year across several sites and bookshops in America in 2022? Was it its stylized plot that features a bold, maverick woman who defies odds in a typical setting over half a century ago when women were intensely repressed, were expected to wear pink, shirtwaist dresses and be responsible for domestic chores? And of course, they were not supposed to ask controversial questions that challenged the status quo.
Elizabeth is perpetually at the receiving end of blatant discrimination and sexism, where the staff at Hastings is happier to think of her as a secretary rather than as a scientist. It finally culminates in her resigning from her job at the Hastings Research Institute, despite being by far the brightest scientist at the facility, after Calvin’s passing.
Left in dire circumstances with a little girl to raise, Elizabeth is forced to do odd jobs and professional favours on the sly for the bunch of average male scientists at Hastings Research Institute, who continue to approach her for her expertise and advice on their chemical experiments.
Simultaneously, her daughter, Madeline attends school and often shares a significant part of her excellently and scientifically packed nutritious lunches with a classmate. Madeline doesn’t get enough nutrition and eventually this leads to some unexpected weight loss.
This prompts Elizabeth to confront the father of Madeline’s classmate, a down and out TV producer, Walter Pine. While the two meet, he observes the potential in Zott to be a talk show host of a late afternoon cooking show, targeted at housewives.
Elizabeth reluctantly agrees to be the anchor as she is in urgent need of a steady income to support her abiogenesis research, her daughter and the strange dog whom she named Six Thirty because that is the time the pooch had followed her home one day. Six Thirty plays an integral role in the novel.
The cooking show is a runaway success and as the reader, you are reminded of an age-old adage, “Fortune favours the brave.” Despite being badgered by the TV channel’s sexist and crass executive producer, Phil Lebensmal, to dumb down the show’s theme and content to a vacuous and cheerful cooking show that will support commercials, Elizabeth who is overflowing with intelligence, integrity and determination, refuses to tone down the show’s content, and goes head on with her mission to teach all of America’s housewives some basic chemistry and the importance of knowing the what, why and how of cooking healthy, nutritious and flavourful food.
If I speak more, I will be giving the story away, but the novel, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a pathbreaking novel, and one that talks about how Zott overcomes the limitations imposed upon her by the society of over half a century ago to emerge as an independent, thinking and bold woman.
Concurrently, another parallel subplot unfolds when Madeline attempts to discover her deceased father’s origins in the orphanage where he grew up.
The beauty of this novel is that it challenges you to dismiss gender stereotypes and look at women and men in their true spiritual essence. Societies which have categorised men and women into fixed roles are now considered very regressive and perhaps the new evolution is a reflection of the true potential of both sexes, who must work together to succeed in this physical universe and not degrade their roles into scenarios where they are pointless pitted against each other.
Arjun Pereira, a writer and editor, is also a singer, composer, lyricist and guitarist. He loves the outdoors and is often seen enjoying a vigorous game of tennis, mornings or evenings. He has worked for several leading publishing houses and corporates and loves to travel, soaking in new experiences and cultures. His subjects of interest are sports, spirituality and music.
Featured Photo: A scene from the hit series, Lessons in Chemistry available on OTT
