Chemistry by Weike Wang

CHEMISTRY is a wonderful debut novel by Weike Wang.  The cover itself conveys the subtlety and simplicity of this author’s writing – yes, the story has to do with chemistry, although not just the science itself, but also the chemistry between people and within a person. 

The unnamed narrator is a 20 something woman, the only child of parents who emigrated from China to the United States.  She and her live-in boyfriend, Eric, are pursuing PhD’s in Boston.  He is having success with his experiments; she, not so much. He wants to get married; she’s not so sure. He had a happy childhood and supportive parents; she is still struggling with expectations. The novel is written in a unique manner – almost a stream of consciousness from the narrator about relationships and conversations with Eric, her family and others (including an unnamed best friend, a therapist, and her thesis adviser). Her sense of identity and self-worth are definitely at risk as she becomes disillusioned with her work, remarking, “The optimist 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.”

Read CHEMISTRY to get inside the head of a young person trying to deal with questions of what she should do with her life amidst the pressures from others. It is an honest, sometimes funny and often surprising introspection from an obviously troubled, but appealing, soul.

On language and writing

THE IDIOT by Elif Batuman appealed because of its cast of characters:

• Selin, daughter of Turkish immigrants beginning her undergraduate studies at Harvard
• Svetlana, a classmate from Serbia and
• Ivan, an older mathematics student from Hungary.

The time period, 1995, and setting - both in Boston and across Europe – also grabbed interest as I began reading and reflecting on college experiences, the efforts to find oneself, and to establish adult relationships. However, I soon felt that Selin was a little too self-centered; although clearly very introspective and clever. Here is an example of her mind at work: “I was thinking about the structural equivalencies between a tissue box and a book: both consisted of slips of white paper in a cardboard case; yet – and this was ironic – there was very little functional equivalence, especially if the book wasn’t yours.” After a time, Selin’s frequent musings did seem less amusing and began to grate, slowing down the story, even though  Batuman is an award winning author who provides a thoughtful commentary on culture, language and “adulting.”

Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly all gave starred reviews to this semi-autobiographical debut novel and despite its being over 400 pages, I am curious to see if any of our Senior English classes will decide to explore this unique text. 

 BLEAKER HOUSE by Nell Stevens is also about language, writing and finding oneself. She subtitles this memoir “Chasing My Novel to the End of the World” and describes her experiences during a three month fellowship writing on Bleaker Island in the Falklands.  I have to be honest and say I was a little jealous of her ability to get completely away and write in isolation. Granted, she must forego Internet access and lists some “Habits I am being forced to break: Wondering: ‘What year was so-and-so born?’ .... Or any other general, non-urgent but niggling questions, and looking it up at once. Instead, I start a WORD document listing all the things I’d Google if I could: a sprawling, eclectic list of idle curiosity ....”  

I also really enjoyed her observations of the desolation of the Falkland Islands: “I walk for hours and see only monosyllables: cliffs, birds, waves, sand, sheep, rock, moss.” Future writers, travel enthusiasts and anyone with an active imagination should read the excerpt from BLEAKER HOUSE provided by the publisher and then turn to the book itself; there is also a Reading Guide for this debut work which will appeal to book groups.  
 

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

The voice of 85-year-old Addie Baum was very real to me and I eagerly “listened” to the stories she told her granddaughter about being an immigrant in Boston, living in poverty, and finding a life partner.  As I read The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, I found myself thinking of my own grandparents and their experiences – the learned wisdom that is often lost and yet so precious when shared in families.

The Boston Girl will have wide appeal, especially to those with immigrant roots. Like Gilman’s Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street, Diamant’s new book will add another story to Jewish American literature. I am excited to be booktalking The Boston Girl next Tuesday on its debut publication day since I think it is definitely a fit for our Junior Theme research project.  Students will enjoy the conversational tone of this novel and be able to develop a research paper touching on one or more of many themes: fitting in and the immigrant experience, American Dream, discrimination and gender, race and religion, and class differences.

I also loved Diamant’s The Red Tent so I hope that reading the newly published The Boston Girl will generate more interest in that earlier noteworthy work, too.