Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
by Patrick Suskind
Finished on 19 June 2007. Filed under Historical Setting, Mystery/Thriller.
JEAN-BAPTISTE GRENOUILLE, born in eighteenth-century Paris and abandoned on the street, discovers he has an extraordinary—almost superhuman—sense of smell.
As he sniffs his way across France, this gift is exploited by Grenouille to make the world's most marvellous prefumes. Yet in seeking perfection in his experiments, he realises that a vital ingredient is missing for the perfect scent: innocence.
And in order to get the ingredient he needs, he must capture it—whatever the price.
Check out Perfume: The Story of a Murderer at Amazon.
After-Thoughts
The story describes the entire life of the perfumer and serial-killer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille from birth to death.
Though written from the third-person point of view, it was mainly focused the murderer, reflecting his solitude. By this, Suskind allows readers to understand the internal thinking of the murderer and hence I was able to sympathise with this villain—which is not something I usually do.
The descriptions of the eighteenth-century Paris were also detailed and beautiful (in reference to the choice of vocabularly), but perhaps a little over-the-top sometimes.
The power of "scent" was exaggerated so much that it became somewhat supernatural, but this reflected the easily-manipulated and corrupt society of the time and was what made this a unique and extraordinary tale.
For those who are too lazy to read a novel of 263 pages, it was also made into a movie at the end of 2006. Some parts of the plot were different but nevertheless captured the essence of the story. Definitely recommended!
