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A review by minibookwellington
Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
first and foremost thank u to anna dorn herself for mailing me this copy! i have been so excited about perfume and pain, and it was as much of a delight as i hoped it would be.
perfume and pain follows LA based author astrid dahl, who is presently trying to “get healthy” after a light public cancelation. for years, astrid had been reliant on a cocktail of pills, booze, and cigarettes that she refers to affectionately as “the patricia highsmith.” she rambled through life in a daze, writing successful satirical lesbian fiction novels and dating toxic women. although she’s striving to clean up her act, astrid falls back into old patterns of behavior and sexy distractions. she becomes infatuated with a phd student named ivy who’s researching ‘50s lesbian pulp fiction, and she develops a resentment for her new nosy neighbor penelope. at the same time, famous starlet kat gold is in the process of adapting one of astrid’s earlier novels. can astrid hold it together, or will the patricia highsmith and her destructive tendencies ruin it all for her…?
this book is full of the things i love about anna dorn’s other books: sharp hilarity, wonderful sarcasm, messy and narcissistic characters, iconic descriptions such as calling someone’s tragic sense of style “fedora-adjacent.” throughout all of astrid’s sardonic comedy and increasingly disastrous choices though, there is a really great heart and tenderness to this one too.
i was also obsessed with and soothed by the idyllic southern california bungalow on a hill that astrid lived in… and found entertainment in the way that this book felt like a self aware take on autofiction… see: astrid dahl’s initials, her having previously written books about a famous astrologist, a kendall jenner fanfic, and a lawyer, astrid insisting her protagonists are not based on herself. i found it to be a fun meta take on autofiction…
4.25 stars from me! absolutely recommend for fans of marcy dermansky, emily austin, sloane crosley, and anna dorn’s other work
perfume and pain follows LA based author astrid dahl, who is presently trying to “get healthy” after a light public cancelation. for years, astrid had been reliant on a cocktail of pills, booze, and cigarettes that she refers to affectionately as “the patricia highsmith.” she rambled through life in a daze, writing successful satirical lesbian fiction novels and dating toxic women. although she’s striving to clean up her act, astrid falls back into old patterns of behavior and sexy distractions. she becomes infatuated with a phd student named ivy who’s researching ‘50s lesbian pulp fiction, and she develops a resentment for her new nosy neighbor penelope. at the same time, famous starlet kat gold is in the process of adapting one of astrid’s earlier novels. can astrid hold it together, or will the patricia highsmith and her destructive tendencies ruin it all for her…?
this book is full of the things i love about anna dorn’s other books: sharp hilarity, wonderful sarcasm, messy and narcissistic characters, iconic descriptions such as calling someone’s tragic sense of style “fedora-adjacent.” throughout all of astrid’s sardonic comedy and increasingly disastrous choices though, there is a really great heart and tenderness to this one too.
i was also obsessed with and soothed by the idyllic southern california bungalow on a hill that astrid lived in… and found entertainment in the way that this book felt like a self aware take on autofiction… see: astrid dahl’s initials, her having previously written books about a famous astrologist, a kendall jenner fanfic, and a lawyer, astrid insisting her protagonists are not based on herself. i found it to be a fun meta take on autofiction…
4.25 stars from me! absolutely recommend for fans of marcy dermansky, emily austin, sloane crosley, and anna dorn’s other work