Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Patrick Suskind's iconic book, a worldwide phenomenon and critically praised bestseller, invites readers to consider the horrifying consequences that arise when a man indulges in his greatest passion—his sense of smell—to the point of murder.

The newborn Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one extraordinary gift—an unwavering sense of smell—in the slums of eighteenth-century France. He apprentices himself to a well-known perfumer, who teaches him the age-old craft of blending priceless oils and herbs, with the goal of understanding Paris's scents as a young lad. Because of his extraordinary talent, Grenouille isn't content to stop there and develops an obsession with catching the scents of other items, such freshly cut wood and brass doorknobs. He will go on an increasingly harrowing journey to make the "ultimate perfume"—the aroma of a stunning young virgin—after he smells a whiff of it one day. Perfume is a chillingly dramatic story of murder and sensuous perversion, told with stunning narrative genius.