Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Authentic Verified) by Patrick S?kind

"The year is 1738; the place, Paris. Beneath a fishmonger?s bloody table in a bustling marketplace, a baby is born and abandoned. Orphaned and left in the care of monks as a mere charity case, there is something unsettling about the infant from the very beginning. No one will care for him; he is too demanding. More disturbingly, something is amiss: as his wet nurse tries to explain, he lacks the scent that every baby should have?indeed, he has no scent at all.

As we watch Jean-Baptiste Grenouille cling stubbornly to life, we begin to recognize that a monster is quietly emerging. With growing unease, yet an almost hypnotic fascination, we witness him explore his extraordinary abilities and the profound effect they have on the world around him. For this dark, scentless child possesses a sense of smell so acute that he can read the very composition of the world?its hidden truths, the history of objects, their presence, and their past. Darkness is not dark to him, for no scent can escape his perception of the universe?s odors.

As Grenouille matures, he comes to understand the full magnitude of his terrifying uniqueness. His obsession becomes the quest for the perfect scent?the scent of life itself. His powers lead him to master the ancient art of perfume-making, and soon, the fragrances he creates become the talk of Paris and all of Europe. Yet, as he perfects his craft, he withdraws into a strange, agonized solitude, awaiting the day when he will pursue his monstrous goal: to extract from the most beautiful young virgins the ultimate perfume, one that will grant him the humanity he so desperately seeks.

As his journey accelerates, from savage exile to the heart of the countryside, and back to Paris, a rising storm of terror and sensual conquest unfolds. In a frenzy of triumph, the consequences of his actions explode in all their horrifying implications.

Told with dazzling narrative brilliance and the haunting power of a dark fairy tale, Perfume is one of the most remarkable novels of the last fifty years.

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