Review of THE PERFUMIST OF PARIS by Alka Joshi (New Release)

 3.5 Stars

This is the third book in the Jaipur Trilogy, following The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur. 

The novel opens in Paris in 1974.  Radha and her husband Pierre live busy lives with careers and two daughters.  Radha works as a perfumist helping to design new fragrances.  A project has her travelling to India to learn from the courtesans of Agra about how they use fragrances to entice and seduce.  She has a visit with her sister Lakshmi, but learns that Niki, the son she gave up for adoption when she was 13, has flown to Paris to find her.  Having never told anyone about Niki, she returns to Paris wondering if her vulnerable marriage will be destroyed by his arrival. 

One of the enjoyable aspects of the book was catching up with characters (Lakshmi and Malik) from the first two books.  I loved the Indian setting in these novels, but less of this novel is set in India; most events occur in Paris. 

From the first novel, I remember Radha as stubborn and high-spirited.  She seems less vibrant, but she is juggling the demands of her family and the job she loves.  Unfortunately Pierre is not in favour of her working outside the home.  And then there’s the past which she has tried to bury because it’s too painful to remember the circumstances that led to her pregnancy and having to give up her child. 

The traits of hers I did not like are her insecurity, negativity, and tendency to jump to conclusions.  For instance, when something goes wrong at work, she immediately assumes that she is at fault and she will lose her job.  In her personal life, she lashes out at her sister for little reason.  Also, rather than directly address a problem, she avoids discussion and often just runs away.  Though she is 30 years of age, she often behaves like the 13-year-old she was when she first appeared in Lakshmi’s life. 

The book does a great job of describing the social climate of the 1970s when the attitude towards women having careers was much different.  Pierre seems to feel emasculated because his wife insists on working outside the home and not focusing just on raising their children.  She, on the other hand, would like Pierre to help with household chores like laundry, cleaning, and shopping, but he thinks that would make him “’A man led by the tip of the nose.’” 

The plot is interesting, but there is a big coincidence that bothers me:  Someone from Radha’s past just happens to know Delphine, who becomes her boss?  Delphine just happens to bring this person into a parfumerie where Radha works, a Parisian perfume shop owned by the grandfather of her best friend Mathilde with whom she attended school in India? 

Readers who enjoyed the first two novels in the trilogy will certainly like this third installment.  Though I enjoyed learning what happens to Radha, it is The Henna Artist that remains my favourite.

Note:  I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.