Review: Perfume

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

by Patrick Süskind

translated from the German by John Woods; first published in 1985

ABOUT
In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift - an absolute sense of smell. He apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume" — the scent of a beautiful young virgin. (from Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS
A few words: Odd. Dark. Creepy. Unique. Brilliant.

More than historical fiction, "Perfume" is written in a magical realism style, perhaps even mythic. A surreal haunting atmosphere permeates the story. It is both compelling and repelling, and that is what I found so brilliant. The creepiness is understated and overwhelming, all at the same time.

Somewhere I read about a lecture given by (I think) Mary Higgins Clark, and she asked the audience what would be the most terrifying thing to hear if you were alone in a house. Several people offered their answers, and then Clark suggested her own: the sound of a toilet flushing.

Take something common and mundane and put it in the wrong situation and it becomes a thing of horror. That's what I felt Süskind did in "Perfume." He took a Dickensian character, gave him an unusual gift and a commonplace life as a perfumer's apprentice, and twisted it all up into something darkly chilling. I was caught up in the life of 18th century France, in all the details of the art of perfumery...and then...a toilet would flush somewhere in the house and I knew I wasn't alone.

The protagonist, Grenouille, is perhaps one of the most uniquely crafted characters I've ever encountered. He is a plethora of enigmas and paradoxes. He is servile, and he has delusions of grandeur. He is slow-witted, and he is a genius. He is repugnant, and he inspires compassion. To say that he is a tragic or Byronic hero is to simplify it a bit too much. In Grenouille, Süskind has created a protagonist that defies typology.

The writing is not without flaws, though. I often felt bogged down by overly long descriptive passages which were written in a manner too straightforward to be particularly mesmerizing. Entire paragraphs are devoted to lists of things - objects used in the practice of perfumery, flowers, etc. There is a notable lack of dialogue. And the part of the story when Grenouille lives in a cave felt like it was only there for plot advancement.

RATING
"Perfume" is definitely not a book that will appeal to everyone. It certainly is not the type of book that can be enjoyed as genre fiction, with the focus entirely on the plot. And there are those who will find the story too repulsive to appreciate the literary aspects of the book.

I liked the book well enough to rate it 4 Bookmarks, but cannot recommend it to others without certain caveats.

I read this book for the Paris In July blog event.