The 7 Key Differences Between Lessons In Chemistry Show & the Book

Bonnie Garmus's debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, became an instant bestseller in 2022. The story of Elizabeth Zott, a talented aspiring scientist in 1950s America, emerged as a tragic yet empowering comic parable about women confronting institutional sexism in the land of the free and the home of the brave in a historical period that, according to many, epitomized the American dream.

Less than a week ago, Apple TV+ finally released the first two episodes of its TV adaptation of the best-selling title, starring Brie Larson. So far, the show seems to have followed the book's storyline pretty closely despite introducing a few changes here and there, some minor and others not so minor. Let's dissect the biggest differences between the show and the book.

A fair warning is in order: the content below contains some major spoilers for the novel and the series.

7. Zott's Degrees And Academic Qualifications

In the first two episodes, the protagonist is portrayed as a lab technician with a master's degree in chemistry. We learn through flashbacks later that she dropped out of her postgraduate program after being sexually assaulted by a tenured professor. The book opens with her PhD application being rejected. The core elements of the story remain the same, though: she's an employee at Hastings and a sexual assault survivor who regularly has to deal with misogynistic stereotypes and institutional sexism.

6. Harriet's Storyline

White feminism often remains blissfully ignorant of other marginalized groups, particularly people of color. Thus, the show introduces some important alterations to the arc of Calvin's neighbor, Harriet. In the book, she's a white woman with an abusive husband, whereas, in the show, she's a black lawyer and an activist campaigning against the construction of a highway through her predominantly black neighborhood.

5. Elizabeth's PTSD

Elizabeth's PTSD is given much more prominence in the series than in the book: in the show, Elizabeth experiences uncontrollable panic attacks whenever she is in an enclosed space with a man and he closes the door. The door must stay open at all times. In the book, her PTSD is not nearly as severe.

4. Six-Thirty's Name And Backstory

In the show, Elizabeth names her dog Six-Thirty because that's the time he wakes her up every morning. In the book, the name is a reference to the date she found him on. Furthermore, in the book, Six-Thirty used to be an explosive detection dog, whereas, in the show, there is no mention of this fact.

3. Elizabeth's Rowing

Unlike the book, in the show, Elizabeth goes rowing for the first time in her life with Cal, and they're not competing with anybody.

2. Cal's Death

In the book, Cal dies after a frightened Six-Thirty pulls on the leash, causing him to fall and fracture his skull, after which he gets run over by a police car. In the show, Six-Thirty starts freaking out as if he's having some sort of a premonition when Cal turns to cross the road while walking him. Six-Thirty flatly refuses to step onto the road, but Cal does and immediately gets hit by a bus.

1. Cal And Elizabeth Sharing Their Backstories

In the novel, Cal and Elizabeth talk about their past early on, whereas in the series, they've been much more reserved about sharing their backstories.

The next episode will be released on Friday, October 20.