“I chose the early 1960s for two reasons: First, because I felt like I needed some reassurance that things for women have actually improved—and they have—although we still have a long way to go toward true parity and respect,” Garmus says. “But I also set it then because that’s when my mom was a housewife. As I did my research, I was struck by both how limited her choices were and yet how extraordinarily hard she and other women of that generation worked—without pay or recognition. They were often dismissed as “average housewives,” but they were anything but.” Pegged as a Big Bang Theory meets Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Lessons in Chemistry follows Zott, a talented California scientist who reluctantly becomes the star of a beloved TV cooking show—and a single mother. But she wants more, she’s a chemist after all. Already heading to Apple TV+ (starring and produced by Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson), the book also gives readers a love story with a Nobel Prize-nominated scientist, a few unlikely friendships, a dog named Six-Thirty who can understand his humans and even a corrupt orphanage. For more on this shrewdly observant heroine (and the books Garmus is recommending this spring), read on.
There are few women who can’t relate to Elizabeth Zott. Where did the inspiration for such a formidable, unapologetic and inspiring character come from?
Elizabeth Zott had been a minor character in another novel I’d started and shelved years earlier, but she reappeared one day following a meeting I’d attended, which had been marred by blatant sexism. Women get used to shrugging everyday sexism off, but that day I lost the ability to shrug. When I got back to my desk, I felt like Elizabeth Zott was sitting there with me, and she wasn’t shrugging either. That’s when I wrote the first chapter.
What was it like writing such a comedic and ahead-of-her-time heroine?
I created Elizabeth Zott because I felt like I really needed someone to look up to—someone with integrity and courage; someone who rejects sexism, racism, conformity and conventionality out of hand. And writing her was fun. She speaks without apology or hesitation. I loved being in her head!
Six-Thirty is a stray-dog-turned-family-member with a big vocab. Why did you decide to add a dog’s perspective?
Humans underestimate each other, but we really underestimate other animals—and since underestimation is one of the themes of the book, a sentient dog fits right in. We always think of ourselves as the most advanced species, but Six-Thirty proves otherwise. He really can’t believe all the dumb choices we make.
What might a present-day feminist Elizabeth Zott be happy with? What might she say needs changing?
I think Elizabeth Zott would be thrilled to find that thirty percent of all STEM jobs are now held by women. On the other hand, I think Elizabeth Zott would be incredulous to find that only thirty percent of all STEM jobs are held by women.
Who is one author you wish more readers knew about?
Adam Kay is very well-known in the UK, but American readers would love him, too. He wrote This is Going to Hurt, a hilarious but dark recounting of his time as an NHS doctor which is now a series on BBC. Read it!
What would you say was the last truly great book that you read?
The Love Stories of W.E.B. du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers. It’s so beautifully crafted, complex and necessary—an epic with all the highs and lows of American Black history, revealing both the horror and the truth with enviable resilience. She’s a poet and a novelist and her writing takes my breath away.
What books are currently on your To Be Read list?
Manifesto by Bernadine Evaristo Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong Next, how to read Colleen Hoover’s books in order.
