“Warning! - Bit of a SPOILER
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer was written by German writer Patrick Süskind in 1985 (originally published as Das Parfum). The story takes place in 18th century Paris, where Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is abandoned on the street. It is a tale of human emotions and a guide through the mysteries of manipulation.
Grenouille, born lacking a personal odor, discovers he has an almost superhuman sense of smell. He exploits this gift by creating the world’s most marvelous perfumes. Yet in seeking perfection in his experiments, he realizes that a vital ingredient is missing: innocence. He murders 25 girls to steal their scent and create the best perfume in existence.
The ending is too unexpected to share and would be an outrageous spoiler. You’ll have to read the book on your own and see what happens. All in all, putting aside all the gross descriptions of smells and humanity alike, the novel is an excellent study of how a talent can turn into a flaw. And if the story won’t inspire you to read it again, maybe the detailed descriptions of techniques of scent extraction, such as maceration and enfleurage, will.
Süskind's book is sui generis. Part horror, part mystery, part historical fiction, it offers insight into the mind of the criminally insane while speculating on the role the sense of smell plays in our lives. Perfume can't be compared to anything written before it because its premise is so different in many ways than what has come before.
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* some sections were taken from other reviews
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Iulia wrote this review Monday, March 9, 2009.
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