perfume: the story of a murderer

Gripping, unique thriller about a man with the world's greatest nose, a bloodhound on steroids, who is consumed by scents and indifferent to everything else. But he himself gives off no odor and is thus off-putting or unnoticeable to people he meets. He becomes obsessed by the scent of virginal young women, and a couple of them in particular, and sets out to create a scent that captures their essence. This involves him becoming a master perfumer, a hermit, an even greater master perfumer, and then a serial killer.

It's a really good tale and the writing is wonderfully rich. The original language is German but it doesn't feel like much was lost in translation. A huge proportion of the imagery is, unsurprisingly, given over to the odors that make up the protagonist's day-to-day existence. I've never encountered anything like that. I was seized by the desire to read it after Diane Ackerman refers to it in A Natural History of the Senses. It did not disappoint.

In related news, a writer in the UK started a prize for thrillers and mystery fiction that do not involve violence against women. The one disappointing thing about Perfume is the boringness of young virgins as the object of desire ne plus ultra. Looking forward to seeing the Staunch Prize shortlist later this year.