Lessons in Chemistry   by Bonnie Garmus

Scooby Doo meets Great Expectations. The meat of the story is bereavement and gross sex discrimination in the 1960s, but the story is mysterious and meandering. Five (or so) very eclectic people and a talking dog, in a wandering tale of money and male power, all with a very full and rich back-story. There are so many elements (pun not intended) to this book it is hard to definitively summarize it.

The protagonist is a female chemist, who is given a very hard time, including rape and theft of identity, getting by in a world of men. Chance finds her hosting a very popular television cooking programme, using chemistry to explain the cooking process and its effects on the human metabolism.

The sexism is dealt with with all the benefit of hindsight, and the chemistʼs aspirations are ridiculously altruistic: despite hosting a massively successful television show, she has no interest in either money or fame (but does go to lengths to keep the media from intruding on family life). Otherwise the read is engrossing and unpredictable, and the overall effect is a heart-warming tale of life enhancement and virtuosity for all.