Wikipedia

Chemistry (novel)

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]

Chemistry
AuthorWeike Wang
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
Published2017
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf
Publication placeUnited States
ISBN9781524731755

Reception

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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.[7] 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."[9]

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."[5] The review continues, explaining that "the present tense also suggests the extent to which the past is, for this narrator, an ongoing anxiety."[5]

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."[8]

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.
2018 PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award Winner [1]
Aspen Words Literary Prize Longlist [15]
National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" Honoree [16]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Debut Author Weike Wang Wins $25,000 PEN/Hemingway Award for "Elliptical Prose" in Chemistry". PEN America. 2018-03-29. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  2. ^ "Chemistry". Kirkus Reviews. 2017-02-06. Archived from the original on 2017-06-06. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  3. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (2017-05-26). "'Chemistry' by Weike Wang: EW's Best Novel of the Year So Far". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2017-05-27. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  4. ^ Buchanan, Rowan Hisayo (2017-06-02). "Marriage, Family, a Ph.D.: A Comic Novel Looks at a Chemist's Unstable Bonds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  5. ^ a b c Fisher, Jamie (2017-06-09). "Weike Wang's 'Chemistry' charts a young woman's toxic reaction to stress". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  6. ^ Enjeti, Anjali (2018-04-26). "Review: 'Chemistry,' by Weike Wang". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  7. ^ a b "Fiction Book Review: Chemistry by Weike Wang. Knopf, $24.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-5247-3174-8". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  8. ^ a b Hong, Terry (2017-05-01). "Chemistry". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  9. ^ a b Fallon, Claire (2017-05-23). "The Painful Truth About The Pressures Of Academic Life". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  10. ^ Elosua, Juan; Hing, Geoff; Park, Katie; Zhang, Matthew (2017-12-05). "Our Guide To 2017's Great Reads". NPR's Book Concierge. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  11. ^ Epatko, Larisa (2017-11-24). "5 books from 2017 that these authors think you should read". PBS NewsHour. Archived from the original on 2017-11-25. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  12. ^ Kerr, Euan; Curtis, Stephanie; Mumford, Tracy (2017-12-11). "Best fiction picks of 2017". Minnesota Public Radio News. Archived from the original on 2017-12-11. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  13. ^ Biedenharn, Isabella (2017-12-19). "The best debut novels of 2017". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  14. ^ "50 notable works of fiction in 2017". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  15. ^ "WEIKE WANG". Aspen Words. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  16. ^ "Weike Wang". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
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