Bonnie Garmus' Lessons in Chemistry (2022) is set in the 1960s. It follows Elizabeth Zott, a chemist who is struggling to integrate into a world that is not equal and dominated by men. Zott generally doesn't like dealing with other chemists, but things change when she meets Calvin Evans. They quickly fall in love, get married, and have a child. But Zott and Evans' relationship falls apart as soon as it starts. Zott eventually becomes a single mom and the star of a cooking T.V. show, where she discovers her actual value and place in the world.
Lessons in Chemistry was one of the best-reviewed and most widely-read novels of 2022. The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, and Newsweek all called Garmus' novel one of the best of 2022. Kirkus Reviews instructed readers to "get" the book and said, "A more adorable plea for rationalism and gender equality would be hard to find." A television series is set to be released on the streaming site AppleTV+ sometime in 2023, further reflecting the novel's popularity.
