Reread, this time in German (the original language of the book). Perfume is deliciously devious, providing a portrait of the barely human Grenouille. Born without a smell of his own, Grenouille has a perfect nose. I think I have a soft spot for this book because it revolves around a sense that books seldom portray well - while sight and sound are everywhere, smell only ever seems like an after-thought in literature, as a fun but insignificant detail. Grenouille is despicable and utterly unlikeable, yet he is fascinating, because he perceives the world through his nose rather than his eyes and ears.
It was nice to read the German rather than a translation this time around.
