Lyrical and sensuous, Perfume is a stunning novel of 18th century France that has yet to see an equal. It is the story of a killer, a vampire of scent, an evil genius on an insane quest to possess the essence of purity: The scent of young virgins.

Grenouille is born to a widowed fishwife and begins his odd journey being passed from wet nurse to wet nurse after his mother is decapitated for trying to kill him. No one can suffer his company for long since he has no scent. He is shunned, ignored, beaten, and feared by all around him until he learns the most valuable lesson of his life: to blend. He most naturally gravitates toward the invisible world of perfumery and wrangles an apprenticeship at a small company. From there, maddened by an uncaring world, a fiend is born.

Translated from the original German by John E. Woods in 1986, Perfume retains the complexity of the Slavic language and loses none of Suskind’s ingenious turns-of-phrase. The prose is highly sophisticated and mesmerizing. It is rich in historical detail and marvelously crafted. Grenouille emerges as a tragic hero, unapologetic in his evil. Set in the Age of Reason, it is a meditation on irrationality and obsession. The climax is shocking, savage, and not to be missed.

Perfume is truly a chilling original. Equally gruesome and compelling, I strongly urge you to give it to the most intelligent person you know. I dare you not to read it first…