Bonnie Garmus talks to Carol Fitzgerald about her debut novel, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, which has been getting a ton of buzz since it came out in April. It was a “Good Morning America” Book Club selection for April and an instant New York Times bestseller. Bonnie shares that one day she walked away from a meeting, headed to her desk, and banged out the first chapter of the book --- and explains what inspired that. She also talks about Elizabeth Zott being a character in an earlier book draft, where her role was not part of the main storyline, and why she loves writing her. She studied chemistry to write this book and brought on chemist friends to check her work lest the publisher’s copywriters needed to brush up on their science skills. She discusses why she wanted to set the book against the timing of the late ’50s and ’60s. Carol guesses why Bonnie’s dog is named 99; Bonnie likes her idea, but that is not the reason. They also explore the rest of the characters, including the amazing dog Six-Thirty.

Books mentioned in this interview:

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677234/lessons-in-chemistry-by-bonnie-garmus/

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Photography Credit: Greg Fitzgerald

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