by Patrick Suskind
A disgusting and suspenseful sensory delight
Reviewed by: Helen Harvey
About Helen Harvey
You can smell the stench of poverty, when in the slums
of 18th century France, a baby, Jean-Baptiste
Grenouille, is born. An otherwise tragic and pathetic
soul, he is gifted with a perfect sense of smell, yet
no personal odor of his own. An extraordinary and
unwanted child, that has never known a days kindness
or love, he trawls his way through the filty squalor
of the underbelly of Paris, in search of the "ultimate
perfume."
Apprenticing himself to a perfume maker, he learns the
ancient art of mixing intoxicating potions by
combining herbs, oils, and flowers, displaying an
unrivaled talent for which he becomes famed. Yet this
talent is insufficient to assuage his obsession for
perfection.
One day, he senses a smell so heady and potent, that
he realizes it is what he has long been searching for.
Determined to capture it, he traces it, and finds
that it is the scent of a pure virgin. Will his
all-consuming lust and obsession for the perfect scent
cause him to murder? Yes, he must.
The novel twists and turns as it plunges further into
the depths of darkness and depravity, the reader is
lead on a journey from which it is impossible to
return, and with a descriptive quality so tangible,
that you find yourself raising your head to sniff the
air, the cloying reek of Paris hanging heavy above
you.
The novel concludes in a crescendo that is unexpected
and fantastical, shocking, deliciously wicked, and
disgustingly depraved. It is absolutely compelling,
and, as disgusting as it is, human nature and
inquisitiveness dictate that you simply have to keep
reading. Like the movie watchers that cover their
eyes, yet cannot resist peeping, this book is
completely irresistible, and you will not be able to
resist reading it until its bitter end.
As Grenouille is a master perfumer, so Suskind is a
master writer, capable of writing the ultimate
fantasy.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Copyright © by Helen Harvey, 2002
Reviewed by Helen Harvey:
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