CHEMISTRY

At first glance, the quirky, overworked narrator of Weike Wangs debut novel seems to be on the cusp of a perfect life: she is study ing for a prestigious PhD in chemistry that will make her Chinese parents proud (or at least satisfied), and her successful, support ive boyfriend has just proposed to her. But instead of feeling hopeful, she is wracked with ambivalence: the long, demanding hours a t the lab have created an exquisite pressure cooker, and she doesnt know how to answer the marriage question. When it all becomes t oo much an...[Read more]