Review Me Twice: Perfume by Patrick Suskind

This week's review book is Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, published in 1985.

Our protagonist is a man of repulsive origins who is unique in that he has no scent of his own, and he is masterful at detecting the scents around him. He usually finds no pleasure or displeasure in odors, but one day he smells the perfect fragrance, wafting from a young girl. In his effort to preserve the smell, he kills her. After this episode, he makes it his life's work to recreate it, so that he may enjoy a smell again.

Unique, right? I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. It's creative, compelling, and very well-written.

It was originally written in German. I can't help but feel like, when something was originally written in a language other than the one I'm reading it in, I'm missing something. Especially when that original language is German; they have a precise, descriptive word for everything! But I only felt that way because I had this outside knowledge; reading it without knowing that, you'd never be able to tell.

I think what I really like about this book is that Suskind turns a critical eye toward humankind. Grenouille (the protagonist, and yes, his name means "frog" in French) is like an outsider to humanity, and because he is in this position, he can comment on things that seem natural to us simply because we are people.

There is a movie based off Perfume, and while I liked the movie, I don't suggest seeing it before you read the book.  Suskind is a very good writer.  He is very good at describing smells, which is a big deal.  He basically has to use words to make you understand the intense smells that Grenouille smells on a daily basis.

Suskind also was amazing at inserting French history into the novel.  I got a sense of exactly what was going on in the country and everything that was effecting Grenouille in the place that he lived.  That's a hard thing to do.  Hugo, a great story teller, but horrible when it comes to writing about times in French history, didn't do it nearly as seamlessly.  It's hard not to burden the book down with the French politics.

Odors have a power of persuasion stronger than words, appearances, emotion or will.  The persuasive power of an odor cannot be fended off, it enters into us like breath into our lungs, it fills us up, imbues us totally.  There is no remedy for it.

I like the idea that people can be controlled by smell.  Smell is often considered the sense most attached to memory, so it's not hard to make the jump that you could control someone with scent.  If you can mimic a sent that stirs positive feelings in a person, they're all the more likely to view you as harmless.  Suskind really builds on this.  Grenouille is often experimenting with how certain smells effect people.

The only thing that really killed it for me, was that I knew the climax of the book and I think it would have been much better if I hadn't.  The end of the book, I think, would have been much more powerful, much more intense, if I hadn't known it was going to happen.

My Bottom Line 4 out of 5

Imagery

Imagery is a literary device used to help the audience see what the author sees. I'm talking about it today because so much of this week's review book, Perfume, relies on author Patrick Suskind's ability to describe sensory experiences.

Imagery can be accomplished in several ways. The easiest way is the adept use of adjectives. Adjectives are the words that modify nouns: green; loud; beautiful; salty; fluffy.

Pretend you're writing a scene set in the desert valley pictured above. What kind of adjectives could you use to describe it? Dry, probably. Arid, even. Beautiful, if it's your kind of place. It's certainly very orange. Desolate and lonely come to mind. You could also describe the sky: bright, clear, open, large.

Another path to imagery is the use of figurative language, like similes and metaphors. A simile is a comparison using the words "like" or "as."

"Reading this blog is as awesome as winning the lottery."

"Cassy and Alex are like rock stars."

There are similes because two unlike things are being compared to make a point. Unfortunately, reading Review Me Twice is not very much like winning the lottery, other than the fact that they are both awesome. And despite what I may think while singing with the radio in my car, I am not a rock star, but I have some qualities in common with rock stars (or at least, I like to think I do).

Me and Cassy... but only figuratively.



Then you have metaphors. Those are like similes without the "like" or "as."

"Reading this book was a roller coaster."

The book didn't literally put me on a roller coaster, although how cool would it be if that were possible? This figuratively means that the book had a lot of ups and downs (either in tone, emotional response, or quality).

Not pictured: Reading.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but when you're working in the opposite direction, you have to try to use less than a thousand words to describe the picture in your head, and if you're really good, you can include how it smells, tastes, sounds, and feels at the same time.





Favorite Murder Stories

Before we get into today's favorites, I wanted to announce that we are now on Facebook!

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In honor of this week's novel, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, we're discussing our favorite murder stories today.

Mine is a little bit of a cheat, because it's two books at the same time: Desperation by Stephen King, and The Regulators by Richard Bachman. (Bachman was King's pseudonym, which had been discovered and "killed off" by the time these books were released in 1996, but the inside cover of Regulators stated that this was written by Bachman and hidden in a trunk, recently discovered by his widow.)

The covers shown above are the first-edition hardback covers, designed to create one complete image when held together like that.

These books are parallel universes of each other. It's hard to describe unless you read the books yourself. Most of the characters in one are present in the other, although with differences. The settings are entirely different, with Desperation taking place in the Nevada desert and Regulators in an Ohio suburb (both of which, I have to say, are a refreshing change of pace from Maine).

In Desperation, the crazed deputy of a town named Desperation takes a number of travelers from the highway (using ruses like an arrest or protecting them from an escaped criminal). It quickly becomes clear that the deputy is crazy, possessed by an evil creature named Tak.

In The Regulators, there's a little boy named Seth who is autistic. With the help of some creature named Tak, he can control reality in unusual ways. He applies his knowledge of his favorite TV shows (one a western, one called "MotoKops") and Tak uses all of this to attack the other people who live on Seth's street.

Because this is Stephen King, there are gruesome and horrifying deaths throughout both books, but the best part about them is the small similarities between the two books. He wrote them as "mirrors" for each other, and it is so masterfully done. My favorite crossover is Collie. He's the crazed, possessed deputy in Desperation and a washed-up former cop accused of misconduct in Regulators. He has the same exact name in both books (and if I'm not mistaken, he's the only one).


When I was young, and my mother encouraged me to read just about everything.  She would throw books at me that she thought I would like.  When I was in... I think middle school, she handed me my first, bonafied murder mystery.

It even looks all spooky and scary.

So, ok, I know Mary Higgins Clark isn't the best murder mystery writer of all time.  You read a few of her books and you can always figure out who done it.  But in middle school, this book really stuck with me.  It's about a woman, Maggie Holloway, who rediscovers one of her stepmothers, and then goes to visit her.  Only, when she gets there, her stepmother has been murdered.

Of course, Maggie ends up being the one who tries to solve all the murders (because why should we leave these things up to cops!)  She ends up staying in the area because her ex-stepmother left her the house.

The thing I really liked best is that Clark adds some odd things to it that are just neat to learn about.  For instance, during the Victorian age, they used to tie bells to the grave and then run a string to the inside of the casket and post someone outside of the grave for three days.  This way, if the person in the casket was buried alive, they would just pull on the string and ring the bell and get dug up.

Maggie finds these bells buried on the graves of three women, her stepmother and two women she knew.  This leads her down the path of figuring out corrupt people, crazy men and all sorts of other things that just don't quite add up.

There's something about the book that I always just enjoyed.  I liked that there was a hint of romance without it taking over, or being the point of, the book.  I like that there was history involved and you could tell that Clark had done her research.  And I liked Maggie's character: an independent woman, wonderful photographer and a little bit like Nancy drew.  It's a decent book and nice to read if no other reason than for the nostalgia factor.

Book Smell

This week, we're reading the book Perfume: Story of a Murderer.  The book strongly focuses on the sense of smell.  Our main character has an over-developed sense of smell, to the point that he can smell things miles away.

Today I'm going to talk to you about book smells.  I don't know about you, dear reader, but I LOVE the smell of books.  In fact, one time when I was in class, I was sniffing the pages of my book and my professor saw me, stopped right in the middle of the lecture and asked, "are you sniffing the book?"

Indeed I was, because books smell wonderful.  Here is my favorite type of book smell:

New Book Smell

I love new book smell.  There's something about the pages being crisp and thick and it smells incredibly like paper.  I don't know what causes it, but it's magical.  I like to stick my nose deep in the pages of the book and take a deep sniff of it.  It may sound weird, but try it sometimes.  I think you'll be surprised on how pleasant it is.

Glossy Pages

Have you ever picked up a magazine and had the glossy page smell drift towards you?  Whether new or old, glossy pages have a very distinct smell, separate from those that don't hold a gloss.  Magazines frequently have this smell, so if you've never had the priviledge, pick one up and give it a sniff the next time you're in the supermarket.

Old Books Smell

There is something so unique about old book smell.  It's musty and, well, old.  It gives off a distinct smell that most people recognize in an instant.  It's the smell of bookstores and libraries.  So, what exactly causes this smell of age?  Well, I just happen to have a handy video for that...

If you're really jonesing for a book fix, and by some mystery you can't find one, or maybe you just want to smell like book because, really, let's face it, it's the most attractive smell in the world, there's something out there just for you.

Yes, my friends, there is book perfume out there.  It's about $100 a bottle, so you're definitely going to be shelling out for this particular scent.  But really, who wouldn't want to be constantly reminded of books?

Reclusive Writers

The author of our book for this week, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, is Patrick Suskind. When I first began researching him, intending to write a short biographical post about him for today, I discovered that he was born in 1947 and his list of works stopped in the late 1990s. I assumed he had died. But I read further and found that no, he's still kicking; he's just doing it very privately.

Suskind has become a reclusive writer, withdrawing from the literary world and the public eye.


This is not uncommon, even when the writer is still active, even at the peak of his/her career. Some of the greatest writers ever were recluses.

Harper Lee (1926-) The author of To Kill a Mockingbird (1961) and dear friend of renowned bombastic center-of-attention Truman Capote is sort of a "recluse lite." She has been very involved in the literary community, accepting honorary degrees (but turning down the opportunity to give speeches) and attending conferences, ceremonies, and festivals. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, which is the highest civilian award in the United States.  I remember hearing some time ago that a journalist had written her a letter, begging her to do an interview, to which Harper Lee (who does not do interviews), responded with something along the lines of "Go away, Bitch!" The journalist was appalled, but later realized that she was infringing on Lee's well known wishes; no interviews and to be left in peace.  The journalist wrote a second time, telling Lee how she enjoyed her work and was glad that she (the journalist) was able to partake in it, but didn't mention any sort of interview.  Lee responded favorably to the letter, talking to the woman about the book and what had led to it.

J. D. Salinger (1919-2010) We love a banned author here at Review Me Twice, and Salinger is no exception. His Catcher in the Rye (1951) has its fair share of profanity, and many parents have protested its use in school curricula. In September of 1961, Time magazine devoted an issue to Salinger, with his photo gracing the cover, discussing his life isolated from the public.

Thomas Pynchon (1937-) I'm not terribly familiar with Pynchon's work, but I do know that it's very complex and intense, like Gravity's Rainbow (1973). Pynchon has avoided divulging details of his private life for over four decades, and even with the internet, photos of him are rare. He did have a bit of fun, doing voice work for The Simpsons on a few separate occasions. (My favorite is the episode "All's Fair in Oven War" where his lines all contain puns of his titles, referring to a "Gravity's Rainbow cookbook" that contains a recipe for "The Frying of Latke 49.")

Bill Watterson (1958-) Yes, even comic artist/writers can be reclusive. The "Calvin & Hobbes" creator refuses to give signatures or even license his characters (feeling it would devalue them). He is all but untraceable now that the beloved cartoon's run is ended, and spends much time painting.

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) What list of reclusive authors would be complete without this notably introverted poetess? When her mother became ill, she was relied upon more and more to see to the domestic duties, which suited her, because she was happy when she was inside, with books. It has been theorized that she suffered from agoraphobia, and her most productive years (in a literary sense) were also her most withdrawn from society. The majority of her work was published posthumously, because she did not offer it up for publishing. (She had left instructions to have her correspondence burned upon her death, but said nothing of her notebooks and other writings.  And from what I understand, there were a few correspondence that made it through, but not a lot.  This is only what I've heard, however, so don't take it for fact.)

By Its Cover: Divergent

First Impressions.

Wow! That looks exciting! There's fire, obviously, and it's swirling around. Plus there seems to be a storm coming, to a metropolitan city that must be just bustling with people. I'm entirely stoked! Let's read this!!!

Even without knowing it beforehand, I would say that this looks like a YA dystopia. (That might have something to do with the similarity to the mockingjay pin on the cover of Hunger Games.)

This cover intensely reminds me of The Hunger Games.  The fire and the symbol make me think that someone is just going to jump into some terribly horrific version of the Olympics.
After Reading.

The book did have some Hunger Games like moments, but at the same time, wasn't like it at all.  While the book (whose cover makes you pretty much assume you're reading a dystopia) does reflect a dystopian society, it did not have anything to do with games.  However, I'm fairly certain that the symbol on the cover is the symbol of the faction that Tris joins, which I like.  It matches her faction and it gives you a little more information that you may not have gotten otherwise.

I agree that the flames symbolize Tris's faction choice, but if I had been asked to design a cover for this book, I would have fixated on the idea of using her tattoos, or perhaps the symbols of all five factions. I like this, though; it's immediately recognizable, and it makes good sense.

ReviewMeTwice: Divergent by Veronica Roth

I know we've been crazy with the dystopias lately, but I promise this will be the last one for awhile.  This one has been on everyone's radar for so long, how could we not do it?  And to be honest, I think it's a book worth picking up.

I really like the world that Roth creates.  It's one that's not completely different from our own.  We can see references and remnants to our own world: The Sears Tower, a train system (even though the majority of the population doesn't use it), stoplights, even though most people don't have cars.  I think it really helps get you into the book more when you can point out familiar landmarks.

Roth is also a good writer.  The action scenes are interesting and believable, her world isn't too over the top and she does a great job of explaining to you how things work, how the factions work and really giving you the feel for everything through Tris and the other kids who left their factions.

However, despite this good points the book, for me at least, was extremely, extremely predictable.  There was little that Roth didn't make obvious.  I don't want to say too much here, because it would give away a LOT of spoilers, but about a third of the way through the book, I started writing down my predictions and checking them off as they came true.  Out of ten predictions I made, eight of them came true (and one still might in another book.)  If I can guess all the "big" surprises, then they're really not very good surprises.

The book also has a good ending.  It's open-ended but still gives you closure.  You could see where there would be a second book, but it's not the type of series where you HAVE to go onto the second one.  Divergent could be a stand alone.

Overall, a good book, but probably not one that I'd ever pick up again.

My Bottom Line 3 out of 5

This book filled the void that finishing the Hunger Games trilogy left in me over a year ago. (You know the feeling. The series you love so much is over, and you don't know what to do next.) Most booksellers' websites offer up Divergent as a "you might like this if you liked The Hunger Games" suggestion, and they are right to do so.

Your awesome female protagonist kicks ass but has to learn that herself before she can go about doing it. There is a budding romance that is on the peripherals of the story. Let me emphasize that again: the romance is so not central to the story. (There is a "magic of love saves us" moment, but I'll forgive it because I stayed up late to finish the book, and it made perfect sense at the time.)

This book passes the Bechdel test with flying colors: Tris talks to several other female characters about all sorts of things that are not boys.

The world Roth built is exquisite. I could get lost in it. That's my favorite thing about a dystopia: the crazy, messed-up version of the world your characters are wandering around in.

And without spoilers, I just want to express that Roth doesn't shy away from writing the Bad Things. If a character needs killing, s/he will die.

I know I'm gushing, but I just really enjoyed this book.