Trouble with Lichen by John Wyndham

Diana Brackley is brainy, beautiful, pragmatic young woman who troubles her family and teachers with her unsettlingly direct insights about the societal hypocrisies flourishing around her in 1950s-era Britain. After an encounter with the brilliant biochemist Francis Saxelby, Diana becomes a biochemist, too, landing a job at Saxelby’s innovation-minded firm. There, they simultaneously discover the remarkable property of a rare lichen, and while Saxelby is paralyzed by its implications, Diana springs into action, building a wellness empire (ha) to set in motion a long-range plan to empower women to reshape their lives—and the world. When the secret comes out, Diana and Francis have to reckon with what they’ve unleashed. A fun, fizzy, deceptively clever sci-fi of its time asking still-sharp questions beneath a standard-issue love story.