This was one of Kurt Cobain's favorite novels. The story centers around a man with a great sense of smell living in 18th century France. He is orphaned at a young age and notices his gift for smell at a relatively young age. He smells a girl and murders her so that nobody else could have her smell. He realizes his great olfactory ability and apprentices himself to a perfumist. He also realizes that he does not have a smell. Later he decides to create a perfect smell. He kills a couple dozen girls to get what is needed. The people are distraught by the murders and eventually capture him. His execution is to be a great spectacle. He unleashes his "perfect smell" and everyone feels he is innocent as they get wrapped up in a hedonistic orgy. He finds this unfulfilling and decides to unleash his smell as he is walking among some low-life. They rip him apart, ending his life.
The book has an interesting take on the power of smell. Odor does have a power in our lives to bring back strong memories. Could it eventually be used to harness a form of mind control over a populace? Would people really go through such actions over a smell? It is also a tale of sacrifice. The all-powerful smell required the life of many people. The creator of this smell gave the people a final scent as they ripped him apart. Is this how Cobain felt about his musical abilities?
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