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A review by drridareads
Chemistry by Weike Wang
4.0
Ninety percent of all experiments fail. This is a fact. Every scientist has proven it. But you eventually start to wonder if this high rate of failure is also you. It can't be the chemicals' fault, you think. They have no souls.
I'm not sure how to review this book. It follows our unnamed protagonist as she waits for a breakthrough to complete her PhD in her research that just never comes. Her Chinese parents expect nothing less from her. Okay I'm not Chinese but I know so many parents like that; parents that try to mold their child into whatever they want; parents that put so much pressure on them that they eventually break.
You must love chemistry unconditionally. But all I can think is how I am not up for the task.
She receives this advice from her perfect lab mate. And she pushes herself, she works hard but she just can't. Her character was incredibly real, she could be anyone. She was vulnerable and hurt and had no perfect idea who she was anymore.
She is the first character I've seen whose bilingual aspect was pretty real. English is not my first language and I could relate
In the midst of all this her boyfriend; Eric proposes to her and she doesn't want to marry him. To our narrator Eric's life has been one without struggles; growing up he had the perfect kind of parents, he finishes his PhD without much struggle. But how can she be with someone like him?
Wang's writing though easy going, the book had profound themes. What it means to be a girl working in a science field. She that touched on themes of cultural misunderstanding, an Asian experiencing racism. How we sometimes stereotype ourselves.
Honestly I cannot put my thoughts into words right now properly and I hate this review of mine. But I loved this book and would definitely recommend it!
Edit: I don't usually change my ratings but I haven't read many books in a long time and I still think of this. It's underrated and I wish more people read it.
I'm not sure how to review this book. It follows our unnamed protagonist as she waits for a breakthrough to complete her PhD in her research that just never comes. Her Chinese parents expect nothing less from her. Okay I'm not Chinese but I know so many parents like that; parents that try to mold their child into whatever they want; parents that put so much pressure on them that they eventually break.
You must love chemistry unconditionally. But all I can think is how I am not up for the task.
She receives this advice from her perfect lab mate. And she pushes herself, she works hard but she just can't. Her character was incredibly real, she could be anyone. She was vulnerable and hurt and had no perfect idea who she was anymore.
She is the first character I've seen whose bilingual aspect was pretty real. English is not my first language and I could relate
In the midst of all this her boyfriend; Eric proposes to her and she doesn't want to marry him. To our narrator Eric's life has been one without struggles; growing up he had the perfect kind of parents, he finishes his PhD without much struggle. But how can she be with someone like him?
Wang's writing though easy going, the book had profound themes. What it means to be a girl working in a science field. She that touched on themes of cultural misunderstanding, an Asian experiencing racism. How we sometimes stereotype ourselves.
Honestly I cannot put my thoughts into words right now properly and I hate this review of mine. But I loved this book and would definitely recommend it!
Edit: I don't usually change my ratings but I haven't read many books in a long time and I still think of this. It's underrated and I wish more people read it.