Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was a surprising delight. I expected, based on my not very close reading of the synopsis and the cover, for this book to be light, a little fluffy, and romantic. It subverted my expectations in the best way. It felt serious enough for me to take it more seriously. It had a sprinkling of romance but the romance wasn’t the main plot point. And, while there were some fluffier aspects (such as including a dog’s perspective), this book went deeper than pure entertainment.

A very high-level synopsis: Lessons in Chemistry follows Elizabeth Zott, a female chemist in the 1960s as she struggles to be taken seriously in a time period when women were expected to be homemakers. After she becomes a single mom, she reluctantly takes a job starring on a cooking TV show called Supper at Six, which becomes a surprising success.

This book tackles some serious subjects, such as sexism and sexual assault, with earnest humor and skill, without managing to trivialize or make light of them. I found the writing to be uncommonly surefooted for a debut. I was swept up in the story and the characters, rooting for Elizabeth and her daughter Mad, and rooting against their naysayers.

If you like contemporary fiction, and simply want to read a really good book, I highly recommend this one. I listened on audio and I can’t help but wonder how much of a role that played in how much I enjoyed this one - the narration by Miranda Raison was stellar.