I wanted to take a shower after reading this book--it is seriously, seriously creepy. About a serial killer stalking virgins for their essence to create the perfect perfume, the novel is filled with fantastic touches and the simply bizarre.
All in all, I have to admire the way the author vividly creates a grotesque monster, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, as memorable and original as Dracula. An olfactory genius on the order of a Mozart, he has no smell of his own but can distinguish between the most subtle of scents. I'd also give the novel high marks for how it evokes France on the eve of revolution--the sights, sounds, and of course, especially the smells, and for how it conveys the perfumer's art. The descriptions of all the elements of smell and their power is unlike any other book I've read.
The book is translated from the German, and the translator seems to have done well by it given how evocative and gripping I found the novel (and often darkly funny). If I'm not ranking it higher--well, blame the climax and denouement--which I found ridiculous.
