The Perfumist of Paris

In the novel, scent works as a key to unlocking the past, in the form of memories as well as past selves. References to specific scents like sandalwood and layered olfactory imagery are present throughout the novel. The scents stand in for important places and characters when Radha feels homesick, revealing the vital role scent plays in a person’s ability to access the formative memories that define their identities. Olfactory imagery precedes the flashbacks that contextualize Radha’s past and explain her present situation, such as the description of the heavy scent of sandalwood in the haveli that not only triggers emotional memories of Niki’s birth but causes overwhelming physical sensations for Radha. The scent she has formulated to mimic Niki’s baby smell connects Radha to her innermost sense of calm; this is a clue that in cutting herself off from Niki, she has lost an integral piece of her identity that she must find to feel whole again. Finally, her quest for the elusive missing scent in Olympia’s fragrance mirrors Radha’s inner quest to find the missing pieces of her identity and make herself whole.