Lessons in Chemistry
A tragicomic adult novel set in 1960s California about a female chemist navigating workplace sexism who becomes a reluctant TV cooking-show host. The book blends wit and dark subject matter, with sexual assault, suicide, abuse, and pervasive misogyny woven throughout the narrative.
Sexual violenceExplicit sexual contentSelf-harm & suicideHarm to childrenHarm to animalsMedical traumaGraphic violence & goreAbuse & manipulation
Chapters to know about
Elizabeth is raped during her graduate studies; the assault and its institutional aftermath are recounted in some detail and establish a major strand of the story.
A supervisor attempts to sexually assault Elizabeth in his office after firing her; she defends herself physically but the scene is presented with intensity.
Workplace sexual harassment, dismissal of women's complaints by authority figures, and systemic misogyny recur across the full length of the book.