A review by xjuliaaaaaax
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Süskind
dark
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Odors have a power of persuasion stronger than that of words, appearances, emotions, or will. The persuasive power of an odor cannot be fended off, it enters into us like breath into our lungs, it fills us up, imbues us totally. There is not remedy for it.
Perfume is a novel that is really a character study, or perhaps a portrait or fictional biography.
Unlike Lolita, you’re not tricked into sympathizing with Grenouille and the author never tries to justify grenouille’s acts. We follow Grenouille from his undesired birth throughout his life. People hate him and he hates people. His world is full of scents that no one else can perceive and he is alone in this world. When he captures the most sublime scent he’s ever smelled, he obsesses over capturing and preserving it.
While not much happens in the book, I enjoyed the journey and the writing. Süskind’s descriptions are primarily olfactory, and he goes into detail on the aromas, scents, and stenches in each scene. He also dives into the processes of perfume making. I enjoyed both these aspects, though others may find them repetitive or tedious. I recommend only reading this if you’re in the mood for something atmospheric, mostly made of vibes, and meandering. The ending was very unexpected to me, but not unsatisfying.
I also saw others point out how Süskind described women. Yeah there are some questionable descriptions. Particularly egregious was describing breasts as, “pert as hard-boiled eggs.” However we don’t talk about women often so it’s not super annoying, and I read it as how the characters conceptualize women more than how Süskind views them if that makes sense? I’ve definitely read other things though where descriptions of women completely ruin a reading experience so thought it worth mentioning.
Overall, not something revolutionary or something I’ll likely reread, but I enjoyed it.
Unlike Lolita, you’re not tricked into sympathizing with Grenouille and the author never tries to justify grenouille’s acts. We follow Grenouille from his undesired birth throughout his life. People hate him and he hates people. His world is full of scents that no one else can perceive and he is alone in this world. When he captures the most sublime scent he’s ever smelled, he obsesses over capturing and preserving it.
While not much happens in the book, I enjoyed the journey and the writing. Süskind’s descriptions are primarily olfactory, and he goes into detail on the aromas, scents, and stenches in each scene. He also dives into the processes of perfume making. I enjoyed both these aspects, though others may find them repetitive or tedious. I recommend only reading this if you’re in the mood for something atmospheric, mostly made of vibes, and meandering. The ending was very unexpected to me, but not unsatisfying.
I also saw others point out how Süskind described women. Yeah there are some questionable descriptions. Particularly egregious was describing breasts as, “pert as hard-boiled eggs.” However we don’t talk about women often so it’s not super annoying, and I read it as how the characters conceptualize women more than how Süskind views them if that makes sense? I’ve definitely read other things though where descriptions of women completely ruin a reading experience so thought it worth mentioning.
Overall, not something revolutionary or something I’ll likely reread, but I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide