A book review: El Perfume: historia de un asesino

by Patrick Süskind
In some weeks, fourth grade students at
COAR are going to read the novel El
Perfume: historia de un asesino, but some
of them want a little introduction of this
book. First, it was written by Patrick
Süskind, and its original history reflect a
misanthropic perspective of man. This book
was published in 1985 and is considered,
until now, as one of the best book of the
contemporary literature. The author put
inside of the book’s plot to Jean Baptiste
Grenouille, the main character, who have
the skill of perceive all kind of smells,
because of his special sense of smell.
This book is setting in France, around the
events before the relevant revolutions that
happened in the 18th century. Although the
author don’t emphasize that events, but stress in the lowest social classes, were is
put the main character, and were is developed the plot.
El Perfume tell us about Jean Baptiste Grenouille, who is an assassin of young
girls, but he doesn´t know or remember his murders, because he doesn’t realize he
is executing a murder. That’s because for him women have the most beautiful
smells, and to conserve them he have to kill those women. Paradoxically,
Grenouille doesn’t have any smell. He can do it because he couldn’t leave any
mark or print. Also, other characters are introduced to Grenouille to help him to
ascend in those social classes. Some of them are Madame Gaillard y Giuseppe
Baldini, who have the wish to stay in the high social classes, but in the development
they couldn’t achieve.
On the other hand the most significant moment that I could count is how the author
describe the process of the perfect perfume and Grenouille learn to make it. It’s
interesting the clear descriptions that the book evidence. Really the language that
used and the 3rd person of the storyteller engage to the reader to keep up with the
reading. El Perfume is a good reading to every people who like read and have
experience, like a hobby, doing that.

By: Max Ballena