Book Review: "The Perfumist of Paris" by Alka Joshi
*Spoiler alert!*
“The measure of us isn’t in the day-to-day. And it’s not in our past or our future. It’s in the fundamental changes we make within ourselves over a lifetime. Samaj-jao?”
The Perfumist of Paris is a wonderful bow to wrap the gift of Alka Joshi’s Jaipur trilogy. Focusing on Lakshmi’s little sister, Radha, who lives in Paris with her family, we get to see her at work as an aspiring master-perfumer.
Radha now has a French husband, Pierre, and two young daughters, Asha and Shanti. However, it’s clear that there’s trouble in paradise. Pierre has been making noise about Radha’s neglecting her own daughters in pursuit of her career. In return, Radha is frustrated that Pierre isn’t helping to shoulder her huge load of working hard at her job and coming home to do most of the chores and cooking. (A tale as old as time, I think.)
“Being a woman is difficult. I can see why my mother didn’t like her own gender. We can do so much. Give so much. But not everyone wants what we’re offering. And in the end, we’re left with...pieces of a whole. Shards. Splinters. Chips. Pick them up, they cut our hands. Leave them on the ground, they cut our feet. It’s hard for us to just walk away.”
When she takes on a new project that could catapult her to the master perfumer title, she eagerly goes ahead and tackles the assignment. However, she finds that she’s missing a scent that will tie the whole thing together. Her boss, Delphine, allows her to go to Agra to visit the courtesans that aided Lakshmi when she was running away from home.
Upon her return, she finds that her workstation was tampered with. Someone is trying to sabotage her project.
Not to mention that her son Nikki has come calling, asking after the woman whom his adopted mother, Kanta, wrote to constantly over the years. The past collides with the present in a way that complicates the delicate work-life balance of her marriage and career. (Did I mention how unfair it is that women, even to this day, still must struggle with this, when much of the stress could be alleviated by her partner helping with domestic responsibilities?)
“I've given my best, but I've been used. Delphine said I have to move past it. Lakshmi moved past her betrayals. So did Victorine. Isn't that the look she's giving us in Manet's painting? There will always be a Ferdie in our lives. We have to do our best despite them.”
It is her sister, Lakshmi, with whom she has a deep bond, that helps Radha get through the storm her life has suddenly become, encouraging Radha to be more honest with the people in her life about herself and what she wants for herself and expects of others. Especially honest about Nikki, who is hurt by Radha’s reluctance to explain to her French family who he is.
“I’ve come to think that some people are meant to be in our lives for a certain length of time and not a moment more.”
Events set in motion by The Henna Artist come to a head and are nicely resolved in The Perfumist of Paris. I find that Radha really grows as a character and have enjoyed being along for the journey as a reader as she comes into herself.
I really connected with Radha. I’m not as collected and in control as Lakshmi and found myself resonating with Radha’s earnestness and naivety about many things. I may also possess some of Radha’s stubbornness, strategy of emotional compartmentalization, and being a bit clumsy in social situations. And of course, the fact that Radha is a huge bookworm puts a cherry on top. Overall, I found Radha’s character and journey very realistic, as she must navigate culture shock and the various caste, gender, and class-based discriminations present in post-colonial India. That would be overwhelming for anyone.
I can’t believe Joshi’s Indian-centered series of historical fiction novels is at an end! Even if most things were wrapped up very nicely (I’m being intentionally vague as to avoid major spoilers), I could spend ages in her world. I’m hoping she might write a new set of novels about the lives of Radha’s girls and even a Nikki-centered one. Alas, I’m happy with the Jaipur trilogy, but my heart longs for more.
What an immersive trilogy! I recommend these books to everyone who likes to read and for those interested in historical fiction depicting non-Western cultures and perspectives. The first book is The Henna Artist.
Happy reading!
--BookOwl
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