Perfume and Pain

Perfume and PainCondition: BRAND NEW ISBN: 9781668047170 Format: Trade paperback (US) Year: 2024 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Description: Perceptive and wittylike a Sally Rooney novel set in Southern California. Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Its this authors best work yet. A Sapphic roller coaster ride. Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A controversial LA author attempts to revive her career and finally find true love in this hilarious nod to 1950s lesbian pulp fiction.

Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781668047170
Format: Trade paperback (US)
Year: 2024
Publisher: Simon & Schuster


Description:
“Perceptive and witty—like a Sally Rooney novel set in Southern California.” —Star Tribune (Minneapolis)



“It’s this author’s best work yet. A Sapphic roller-coaster ride.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)



A controversial LA author attempts to revive her career and finally find true love in this hilarious nod to 1950s lesbian pulp fiction.



Having recently moved both herself and her formidable perfume bottle collection into a tiny bungalow in Los Angeles, mid-list author Astrid Dahl finds herself back in the Zoom writer’s group she cofounded, Sapphic Scribes, after an incident that leaves her and her career lightly canceled. But she temporarily forgets all that by throwing herself into a few sexy distractions—like Ivy, a grad student researching 1950s lesbian pulp who smells like metallic orchids, or her new neighbor, Penelope, who smells like patchouli.



Penelope, a painter living off Urban Outfitters settlement money, immediately ingratiates herself in Astrid’s life, bonding with her best friends and family, just as Astrid and Ivy begin to date in person. Astrid feels judged and threatened by Penelope, a responsible older vegan, but also finds her irresistibly sexy.



When Astrid receives an unexpected call from her agent with the news that actress and influencer Kat Gold wants to adapt her previous novel for TV, Astrid finally has a chance to resurrect her waning career. But the pressure causes Astrid’s worst vice to rear its head—the Patricia Highsmith, a blend of Adderall, alcohol, and cigarettes—and results in blackouts and a distu