Smell

by Radhika Jha

Book Overview

Leela Patel is sent to Paris to stay with relatives after her father is killed by terrorists in Kenya. Living with her gluttonous aunt, confined to her uncle's Indian grocery, she feels suffocated.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140293132
• ISBN13: 9780140293135
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: PENGUIN
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A very novel perspective, with a deft touch.

What impressed me most was the author's ability to build rich images with few words. Given that this is a first-novel, the brevity is commendable. And personally found the smell approach to be a very imaginative perspective twist, guess I'm a fairly smell observant person myself so enjoyed the word imagery.And its not only about smells, the author has slipped in fairly strong points of view - about growing up, about racism, about commercialism and in some ways about being a woman in a man's world. There's a subtle yet definite sense of a personality evolving, though not in the conventional 'western' sense of purpose making everything possible. Its been my view that such things happen only in John Wayne movies! Here the character seems to grow in a more organic way - one where destiny and choice seem to blend and weave till its difficult to tell one apart from the other.Isn't that what life's about? :o)However, I do agree with another reviewer that the characters could have been filled out a little more. Having said that, my personal take was that this just threw the spotlight full on proper on the main character. Which is what the author intended I guess.Was a delightful read.

Reminds me of "Amelie" with Audrey Tatou

I can visualize her lively brown eyes, as she surveys the people and places around her. Unfortunately, she has as many, if not more hang-ups and strangeness to her than Amelie did in the French movie. I think that this book reminds me of "Eating Chinese Food Naked", a novel by Mei Ng with the outright sensuality and coming of age character. I also would compare it to "Chocolat" a better novel than the movie that was made from it. The main character in this novel evolves a great deal and is 19 to her twenties when many of her experiences take off. There are many, many, many chapters in this book that are so worthy of your reading, even if you are a male. This is not to be brushed off as chick lit. This is a very powerful novel that delves into our most primal of senses and our reactions to commercialism, to not fitting in, to having cultural clashes. I apologize for the run on sentences. I am definitely in love with this book for it's honest ugliness or ability to be open about the dark sides of human nature that we all have. Even if the rascist comments shocked some, it was quite powerful to think of it in terms of the same type of rascist reactions that some people had against Middle Easterners after September 11th. The brutal reactions of society against those of us who break the "norms" and don't fit in were so enlightening in this book. If you ever felt like an outsider/foreigner who is straddling so many different cultures, as in the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" sense, this book will certainly reasonate with you. This is incredibly relevant to the present times in our society, even if she was talking about the Nairobi conflicts. I think this novel has also made me fall in love with the natural beauty of Africa. I could smell and almost feel the descriptions of Africa. The French phrases thrown in were also wonderful, especially since I am studying the language. Even if she described situations in English, you could really catch onto the fact that she was beginning to feel and think in French. There are many other characters in the novel and the most common theme was to see how she would hand over her power to them, or wait to be rescued by these people. There was a stray-wild-animal type of feeling to some of the situations. The main character is very complex in her vulnerabilities, and yet, at the same time, very much in-your-face about her confused passions. This is a great story. The writer has absolute no fear or inhibitions when it comes to the sense of smell. I tend to enjoy Jhumpa Lahiri's short stories, Isabelle Allende, Amy Tan, and unusual nonfiction books about culture, politics and art. For those of you who also like those, this one is definitely going to appeal you. For the men, this is a book that you want your ex-girlfriends, lovers and secret admirers to send to you;) Trust me, it is a very physical, erotically charged, & an intelligently written novel. You might gasp in outrage or shock at some par

You can get lost in the character....

I found this book to be extraordinarily descriptive and engaging. If you are one who prides yourself on your sense of smell, has a love of foods or are in the mood for the story of a life struggle with victories and heartache, this is a book for you. Set in Paris, but with strong Indian influence, this book will pull you in and at times make you uncomfortable for the character you become immersed in and then on the next page, cheer for her victories in the evolution of her tranformation of sheltered teen to a self-realized woman. A modern-day tale of struggle and celebrations and extreme hunger and satisfaction on both financial and emotional levels.

Gripping

Radhika's style is refreshing and gripping at the same time. A nice account of an outsider, merging into the inside. Any person who has moved to live in a foreign city under difficult circumstances will empathise with Leela.