Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

With a title such as that, how could you fail to be intrigued? I stumbled upon this gem in the BBC's Big Read, which chronicles England's best-loved books based on popular opinion. Currently ranking at number 71, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer captivates the senses in a unique and inspiring way—through scent, of course. While most authors focus on scent sparingly at best, Suskind decided to base his book entirely on a character with a supernaturally sensitive nose and no conscience.

When I first started reading Perfume I got the immediate and pleasurable feeling that I was reading a fable or twisted fairy tale. Originally published in German in 1985, Perfume makes me think of a Grimm's fairy tale. I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like it. I begins like this:

In eighteenth-century France there lived a man who was one of the most gifted and abominable personages in an era that knew no lack of gifted and abominable personages. His name was Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, and if his name—in contrast to the names of other gifted abominations, de Sade's, for instance, or Saint-Just's, Fouche's, Bonaparte's, etc.—has been forgotten today, it is certainly not because Grenouille fell short of those more famous blackguards when it came to arrogance, misanthropy, immmorality, or, more succinctly, to wickedness, but because his gifts and his sole ambition were restricted to a domain that leaves no traces in history: to the fleeting realm of scent.

As you can see, the style of the writing compliments the story that is being told. The reader gets the feeling that this particular oddity of a story has been overlooked over time, crowded out by the more typical, predictable stories of human depravity. The darker the story got, the more engrossing it became. Interestingly, although the subject is a bit on the dark side, it is balanced out by an equal amount of humor. There were many scenes when I found myself laughing out loud.

It begins in 18th century Paris with the (dare I call him hero?), Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. From birth he is propelled by his unique sense of smell. He has the ability to enjoy pleasant smells more completely than others, but he is also incessantly overpowered by the repugnant scents of the overcrowded, often fetid city of his birth.

We follow Jean-Baptiste as he grows older, willfully naming each scent as he comes across it, until he has chronicled thousands of them in his powerful memory. This is the story of a journey, strange as its twists and turns may be. Dragging himself out of poverty, he becomes an apprentice to a well-known but faltering perfumer and begins his obsessive journey to create the most perfect perfume ever known.

The language that Suskind uses in this book to describe Jean-Baptiste's world, which is inseparable from his gift/curse, is truly electrifying. Descriptions of scent are peppered sparingly throughout most pieces of writing and, for that reason alone, this book is worth reading. I will not reveal the ravenous ending, but, rest assured, it will not leave you disappointed.

There appears to be a film version that was made in 2006. It has two of my favorite actors in it, Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman, so I'm glad I read the book before I knew about the film or I might have broken down and watched it before I read it—cardinal sin number one for compulsive readers! I have faith that you will be strong. Read it.

Relevant Reads:

• The Collector by John Fowles
• Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter