Abandoned at birth in the slums of Paris, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille possesses a unique ability: heightened sense of smell. Life as an underprivileged orphan is not easy but Grenouille is driven by the desire to catalogue every scent on earth. But one night, during a delivery for his employer, Grenouille stumbles upon an elusive scent that sends him on a chase through the streets of Paris: that of a virgin.
Driven down a spiralling path of obsession, Grenouille knows he must capture the scent and embarks on a determined mission to perfect the art of perfumery. After persuading an elite perfumer to take him on as an assistant, the tools of the trade quickly become Grenouille’s fixation and his need to learn all he can drives him out of Paris and into the far corners of the earth. Amongst his mistakes and despair, there is a macabre sort of triumph as Grenouille soon finds the solution to his problem: a solution that starts with committing the ultimate crime.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a chilling classic that explores the depths of obsession and the lengths one will take to get what they want. Grenouille’s interactions with his surroundings and his reactions to his failures and successes make him all the more human, meaning his dark downfall into depravity really strikes a chord. Above all, this haunting novel forms an enchanting picture of the complexities of the human mind and is a novel that you’ll be unable to put down until you’ve devoured every last word.
