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A review by thishannah
The Perfume by Caroline B. Cooney
Of all the (many, many) teen horror tales I read in middle school and high school, this one has stuck in my memory more than most for some reason. Maybe it's the names "Dove" and "Wing," or the way that the fictional store Dry Ice reminded me of Hot Topic (when it was still scary and not nerdy). Or maybe it's because of the guilty feelings associated with the book: I bought it as a birthday gift for my sister and speed-read the whole thing before I wrapped it and gave it to her. :-/
Anyway, this was another instance of a "comforting" reread from my youth to enjoy during the sleepless pandemic nights. It's no classic, but I did appreciate all the symbolic messaging around teen hormones unearthing the monster within and the moping about the blandness of Dove's home and life. The horror elements were tamer than I remembered--I kind of thought someone actually died?--but the thought of having your mind taken over by an evil twin is scary enough itself.
My edition also included a fun little bio of Caroline B. Cooney (with photos!), which I thoroughly enjoyed, especially now that I know more about the inner workings of the publishing industry. I didn't know (though it makes sense) that several of her book concepts were commissioned by her editor. She really mastered a specific genre of teen writing, and boy did it work for young Hannah!
Anyway, this was another instance of a "comforting" reread from my youth to enjoy during the sleepless pandemic nights. It's no classic, but I did appreciate all the symbolic messaging around teen hormones unearthing the monster within and the moping about the blandness of Dove's home and life. The horror elements were tamer than I remembered--I kind of thought someone actually died?--but the thought of having your mind taken over by an evil twin is scary enough itself.
My edition also included a fun little bio of Caroline B. Cooney (with photos!), which I thoroughly enjoyed, especially now that I know more about the inner workings of the publishing industry. I didn't know (though it makes sense) that several of her book concepts were commissioned by her editor. She really mastered a specific genre of teen writing, and boy did it work for young Hannah!