My favorite books #1: "Perfume" by Patrick Süskind

This book is an investigation of what it means to be human. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is a genius in one sense - the sense of smell. He remembers every smell, distinguishes them better than anyone else in the world, and can smell things from miles away. However, two things are lacking in him. First, he himself doesn't have a smell. All humans do, but he is scent-free, so people don't notice him until they bump into him. The second, more terrifying lacking quality in him is a sense of compassion for others. He is a classic psychopath/sociopath who can't feel what other's feel and sees people as nothing more than tools toward his goals. He is smart and cunning and will stop at nothing, including murder. He hates people and despises them. He creates the most wonderful perfume from the scent of 25 virgins whom he kills.

This book is both brilliant and disturbing. The descriptions of smell that Suskind wrote are so vivid that you'll swear you are in the 18th-century France. The internal thought processes of this horrible homunculus are examined in great detail. I found myself almost rooting for him despite his horrendous crimes. I don't know if I'll ever want to re-read it, but I definitely loved my first experience with this author's novel. A true work of art.