Chemistry, A Novel

Abstract

Chemistry is a young adult novel that tells the coming-of-age story of Heidi Ross, a 16-year-old high school junior from New York state. The novel, which explores how teenagers use their relationships with one another to define themselves, draws the inspiration for each character – most of whom are in the same Advanced Placement Chemistry class at Madison High School – from the elements of the periodic table. The individual properties and behaviors of the elements, and how they interact with one another, inform characters like Heidi, her best friend Iz, and her nemesis Audrey, as well as the ways in which the characters deal with one another.