Author: Patrick Süskind, John E. Woods (translator)
Published: 1985
Language: English (translated from German)
Pages: 263
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
Set in eighteenth-century France, a boy is born with an extraordinary sense of smell and eventually grows up to become a genius of scent who will stop at nothing to acquire the smells he desires.
Review:
I've known about this book for a really long time and have always wanted to read it, and I'm so glad I finally did.
The story is less horror but a lot more creepy than I thought it would be. The main character is a fascinating creature to read about, and I like that we both get to see the story from his viewpoint as well as some of those he comes in contact with. I also liked how the story dug quite a lot deeper than I had initially anticipated; I thought it would be about a murderer, but it's so much more than that.
The writing style is excellent and really conjures up time and place, but most importantly, it conjures up scents like nothing else I've ever read. It's gross, creepy and interesting all at the same time. It is slightly dense in parts which made me struggle a little bit, but otherwise, this was amazing.
It is definitely a weird story, but it's also wonderfully unique. It's a must read for anyone who likes historical fiction and creepy stories.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
