Yara a Lebanese woman describes her past and present in terms of the scents of the souks the
odors of the street the perfumes of soap and perfume shops the smell of her mother's cooking
the colognes of her male friends and husband. She is admittedly hypersensitive to her olfactory
surroundings and associates many of these with memories dear to her recalling Proust's
evocative madeleines. She is forbidden by her father to marry a non-Muslim yet the memory of
her Jewish first boyfriend's cologne represents the essence of sensuality for her. When she
agrees to marry her Muslim cousin whose smell repulses her to satisfy her father's wishes she
is plunged into despair and experiences a series of personal and family tragedies. When she
subsequently loses her sense of smell this becomes both a blessing and a curse as she is
content not to be plagued by some disturbing odors but finds that memories connected to smells
also begin to disappear creating a certain loss of self. The inner monologue which documents
this emotionally charged loss also seductively evokes the Lebanese cultural context via her
choice of colorful details. This great novel will captivate all readers.
