Q&A with Chemistry Lessons By Bonnie Garmus About My Current Favorite Fictional Dog, Six-Thirty – Dogster

Chemistry Lessons was at the top New York Times Bestseller since it was published last year and it’s also on my personal favorites list. If you’re a dog lover and fan of fiction, you’ve probably heard of Six-Thirty, a rescue, hybrid dog named for the time of day when protagonist Elizabeth Zott finds it on the street. city. After being kicked out of a bomb-sniffing program, the shaggy pup finds his way to Elizabeth, a scientist in the 1950s and 1960s trying to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession. . Six-thirty remains a constant in Elizabeth’s story — alongside a passion for science and an unwavering belief in her own talents. Six-Thirty’s intelligence is on par with Elizabeth’s as the dog learns nearly 1,000 English words and shares thoughts and insights about his family’s adventures.

This year, Six-Thirty and Elizabeth (and other great characters in this book) will be back in action when Lessons in Chemistry, starring Oscar winner Brie Larson, airs on Apple TV+.

I caught up with the author Bonnie Garmus about her knack for naming dogs, Six-Thirty’s popularity, and how she hopes his character will raise awareness of canine intelligence.

Dogster: What’s the story behind the name Six-Thirty?

Bonnie: I think it would be interesting for a dog to conclude that humans and other animals are named based on how long they became part of a family—because that’s what happened to him. . But I will add that in chemistry, the number six stands for carbon—one of the foundations of life. Which means Six-Thirty is prime!

Dogster: Six-Thirty has a fan base of its own! Did you expect this level of connection with the dog’s character?

Bonnie: I didn’t know Six-Thirty was so popular. Honestly, when he started thinking about the page, I was worried. I don’t tend to like magical realism and I stay away from talking animal ridiculous. But in the case of Six-Thirty, his thoughts don’t sound magical at all – they seem normal. He doesn’t talk; he thinks – because all dogs think. In fact, all animals make decisions and solve problems. But in our society, we tend to judge other animals by the human definition of intelligence, which we are a bit ignorant of. In my book, Six-Thirty revolves around that. He doubts our intelligence.

Dogster: Was Six-Thirty based on a dog in your own life?

Bonnie: Six-Thirty is based on my previous dog, Friday, which passed away a few years ago. The only character in the book based on a real living creature. Friday, like Sixty-three, knows a lot of words. The only difference is, we don’t teach her the words – she internalizes them by listening. When we were transferred abroad to Switzerland, Friday learned German. No joke.

Dogster: Who is the dog featured on Six-Thirty’s Instagram account? (@sixythirtythedog)

Bonnie: It’s 99 (Bonnie’s current dog)! Poor 99 is a bit sick of being mistaken for Six-thirty – like a retired person greyhound racer, she is very competitive. But she’s also happy to join the movement dedicated to recognizing that dogs really think. By the way, I’m bad at keeping up Six-Thirty .’s Instagram account!

99 is named after my best friend, Helen. When I was growing up, Helen and I loved watching a show called Be Smart. It features two spies named 86 and 99, and Helen and I immediately — after about two episodes — made the definite decision to become spies when we grew up. To prepare, we called each other 86 and 99 every day. (Over 50 years!) So when she passed away in a tragic accident, I was deeply saddened. Fast forward 10 years; Friday has also passed, and the six-year-old retired Greyhound really needs a home. The moment I met Greyhound, she reminded me of my friend Helen. So we named her 99 in honor of Helen. In doing so, I felt like I had regained a piece of my friend.

Dogster: What is your relationship with rescue dogs?

Bonnie: I have a huge weakness for rescue dogs. We saw it with our dog on Friday – he was badly abused before coming to us – but we’ve also seen it with our two previous dogs, Astro and Barney, they also come from shelters. By contrast, 99 is a purebred — Greyhound — that came to us through the Greyhound rescue service. She was rejected from a previous home for “evil.” When we adopted her – she was only six years old at the time – she seemed full of anxiety and fear, like someone doomed to be shunned. But those fears went away after a few months and she opened up to us and took in us as much as we took on her. She is very sensitive to human emotions—cannot bear sadness—trying to help by pressing her (huge) body against the sad person. Kids love her for it and so do I.

Dogster: What can we expect from Six-Thirty when Chemistry Lessons airing on Apple TV+ this year?

Bonnie: He’s not quite the dog I pictured in the book (in the series he’s a Labradoodle – a breed that didn’t exist at the time) but he was definitely a presence. It’s been a challenge to add a thinking dog to the cast, and at this point, I don’t know how that will turn out. But the Hollywood people working on this series are the absolute best and I believe they will find a way.

Keep an eye on apple tv+ for the new series and follow the adventures of Six-Thirty’s (99’s) in London on social media @Sixthirtythedog