Chemistry (novel) explained

Published:2017
Author:Weike Wang
Genre:Fiction
Country:United States
Language:English
Publisher:Alfred A. Knopf
Isbn:9781524731755

Chemistry is a debut novel by Weike Wang, published May 23, 2017 by Knopf. The novel won the PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award in 2018.[1]

Reception

Chemistry received positive reviews from Kirkus,[2] Entertainment Weekly,[3] The New York Times,[4] The Washington Post,[5] Star Tribune,[6] and Publishers Weekly.[7] Library Journal[8] and Huffington Post[9] provided mixed reviews.

Publishers Weekly noted that Wang's "clipped, funny, painfully honest narrative voice lights up" the novel. Kirkus also applauded Wang's created voice, stating that while the unnamed narrator is "essentially unhinged, [she] is thoughtful and funny... It is her voice—distinctive and appealing—that makes this novel at once moving and amusing, never predictable." However, Huffington Post did not enjoy the narrative voice, saying, "The tight first-person can feel somewhat claustrophobic and familiar ― a cerebral depressive slowly unraveling in front of herself ― and much like the protagonist’s Ph.D. project, Chemistry doesn’t astound with its originality of concept or virtuosic language."

The Washington Post lauded Wang's use of present tense, stating that, "in conjunction with Wang's marvelous sense of timing and short, spare sections, can make the novel feel like a stand-up routine... The spacing arrives like beats for applause." The review continues, explaining that "the present tense also suggests the extent to which the past is, for this narrator, an ongoing anxiety."

Library Journal stated that while Chemistry "could have been a clever, witty novel of self-discovery," but it might have been "more effective" as "a distilled short story."

NPR,[10] PBS NewsHour,[11] and Minnesota Public Radio[12] named Chemistry one of the best books of 2017. Entertainment Weekly named it one of the best debut novels,[13] and The Washington Post named it one of fifty notable works of fiction in 2017.[14]

Accolades for Chemistry!Year!Accolade!Result!Ref.
2018PEN/Hemingway Foundation AwardWinner
Aspen Words Literary PrizeLonglist[15]
National Book Foundation "5 Under 35"Honoree[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2018-03-29. Debut Author Weike Wang Wins $25,000 PEN/Hemingway Award for "Elliptical Prose" in Chemistry. 2022-01-03. PEN America. en.
  2. Web site: 2017-02-06. Chemistry. live. 2022-01-02. Kirkus Reviews. https://web.archive.org/web/20170606215312/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/weike-wang/chemistry-wang/ . 2017-06-06 .
  3. Greenblatt. Leah. 2017-05-26. 'Chemistry' by Weike Wang: EW's Best Novel of the Year So Far. live. 2022-01-03. Entertainment Weekly. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20170527111017/http://ew.com/books/2017/05/26/chemistry-by-weike-wang-ew-review/ . 2017-05-27 .
  4. News: Buchanan. Rowan Hisayo. 2017-06-02. Marriage, Family, a Ph.D.: A Comic Novel Looks at a Chemist's Unstable Bonds. en-US. The New York Times. 2022-01-03. 0362-4331.
  5. News: Fisher. Jamie. 2017-06-09. Weike Wang's 'Chemistry' charts a young woman's toxic reaction to stress. en-US. Washington Post. 2022-01-03. 0190-8286.
  6. Web site: Enjeti. Anjali. 2018-04-26. Review: 'Chemistry,' by Weike Wang. live. 2022-01-03. Star Tribune. https://web.archive.org/web/20180503103121/http://www.startribune.com/review-chemistry-by-weike-wang/480987241/ . 2018-05-03 .
  7. Web site: Fiction Book Review: Chemistry by Weike Wang. Knopf, $24.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-5247-3174-8. 2022-01-03. PublishersWeekly.com. en.
  8. Web site: Hong. Terry. 2017-05-01. Chemistry. live. 2022-01-03. Library Journal. https://web.archive.org/web/20220103020205/https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/chemistry . 2022-01-03 .
  9. Web site: Fallon. Claire. 2017-05-23. The Painful Truth About The Pressures Of Academic Life. live. 2022-01-03. HuffPost. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20220103020203/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chemistry-weike-wang_n_59246c01e4b03b485cb59cdc . 2022-01-03 .
  10. Web site: Elosua. Juan. Hing. Geoff. Park. Katie. Zhang. Matthew. 2017-12-05. Our Guide To 2017's Great Reads. live. 2022-01-03. NPR's Book Concierge. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20171205000548/https://apps.npr.org/best-books-2017/ . 2017-12-05 .
  11. Web site: Epatko. Larisa. 2017-11-24. 5 books from 2017 that these authors think you should read. live. 2022-01-03. PBS NewsHour. en-us. https://web.archive.org/web/20171125070229/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/5-books-from-2017-that-these-authors-think-you-should-read . 2017-11-25 .
  12. Web site: Kerr. Euan. Curtis. Stephanie. Mumford. Tracy. 2017-12-11. Best fiction picks of 2017. live. 2022-01-03. Minnesota Public Radio News. https://web.archive.org/web/20171211113749/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/12/11/books-best-fiction-of-2017 . 2017-12-11 .
  13. Web site: Biedenharn. Isabella. 2017-12-19. The best debut novels of 2017. live. 2022-01-03. EW.com. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222090422/http://ew.com:80/books/best-debut-novels-2017/ . 2017-12-22 .
  14. News: 50 notable works of fiction in 2017. en-US. Washington Post. 2022-01-03. 0190-8286.
  15. Web site: WEIKE WANG. 2022-01-03. Aspen Words. en-US.
  16. Web site: Weike Wang. 2022-01-03. National Book Foundation. en-US.

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