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A review by stayshomeandreads
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
1.5
400 pages of preaching 2016 Buzzfeed style “feminism” in the most misanthropic way possible. This book has only two-dimensional characters, and they just serve to beat you over the head with the most black and white, overly simplistic portrayal of sexism I’ve ever read. Why bother setting a book in the 1950s-60s if your main character is going to act like she’s straight out of the 2020s? Another part of the book I hated was the author’s complete inability to empathize with or even understand people of faith on a basic level. Even ministers in this book don’t have faith because they “understand science.” Never mind the fact that there have been religious scientists throughout human history, including in the 1950s and 60s. I would honestly be fine with that if this book was as lighthearted and fun as it set out to be, but it’s not even that! The book practically opens with a rape scene and is just page after page of the main character being heaped with misogynistic abuse with no reprieve until the deus ex machina ending. Overall, nothing about this book landed for me, especially not the humor. The only part I liked was the dog.
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and Violence