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A review by elle_nari
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A beautifully crafted story that felt like Süskind himself was in a laboratory pouring essences of poetry, of the hatred of humanity, of the bringer of death himself into the tale. The descriptions of scent as Grenouille stalked the streets of Paris, secluded himself in the cave, and smelt that divine scent again were all crafted so expertly I could almost feel myself get transported to 18th century France.
Despite the beauty of this, I could feel major similarities to Nabakov's Lolita by the way some of the characters acted and some of the descriptions of the girls Grenouille targeted. It made me super uncomfortable, especially the way in which Richis described his own daughter...if you know you know.
BUT, that's the sign of a good novel - one that can affect the reader in any way; disgust, joy, fright etc.
I honestly think I'm going to need a full week to recover from this though - it was SO dense with contrasting beauty and absolutely vile descriptions. Grenouille's character was the embodiment of some revolting devil, a bringer of death wherever he went. All who took him in and showed him even an ounce of pity were cursed with unfortunate fates. Those who got in his sights were killed (poor puppy) with their olfactory essence stolen - an allegory for their souls, perhaps?
If you're interested in really dark stories, I highly recommend this as what it does, it does VERY well. It just...certainly isn't for the faint of heart.
Despite the beauty of this, I could feel major similarities to Nabakov's Lolita by the way some of the characters acted and some of the descriptions of the girls Grenouille targeted. It made me super uncomfortable, especially the way in which Richis described his own daughter...if you know you know.
BUT, that's the sign of a good novel - one that can affect the reader in any way; disgust, joy, fright etc.
I honestly think I'm going to need a full week to recover from this though - it was SO dense with contrasting beauty and absolutely vile descriptions. Grenouille's character was the embodiment of some revolting devil, a bringer of death wherever he went. All who took him in and showed him even an ounce of pity were cursed with unfortunate fates. Those who got in his sights were killed (poor puppy) with their olfactory essence stolen - an allegory for their souls, perhaps?
If you're interested in really dark stories, I highly recommend this as what it does, it does VERY well. It just...certainly isn't for the faint of heart.