Paperback Perfumes
What's not to enjoy about a blend of storytelling and scent? I was recently a guest on the Paperback Perfumes Podcast, hosted by the charming Clare Presser, a passionate librarian and community builder who delves into the world of perfumes, pairing novels with fragrances.
It was a lot of fun!
Clare asked me to choose a perfume that she would match with a book, and (after hinting I'd quite like to read a Tasmanian author) I was given Robbie Arnott's 2020 novel, The Rain Heron. I loved this book, its characters and mythology. I kept having a strange feeling that I was reading about places I knew, until the landscapes twisted and folded into something alien and a touch gothic.
After reading Robbie's book I had to select some scents to pair with it...a definite challenge. I settled on perfumes for two strong female characters Ren and Leuitenant Harker (there are some very compelling twists on steriotypical gender roles in this novel).
Ren is a hermit who lives alone in a forest clearing, near a stream on a pine covered mountain she loves. I couldn't go past Aesop's Hwyl, an Eau de Parfum reminiscent of an ancient Hinoki forest: mist rising above the treetops; damp soil, thick moss and soft bark a; a little smoke rising; complete stillness and solitude.
For Harker, who is a strong leader, on a quest, I had several ideas, but settled on a perfume that linked her to the rain heron and the conclusion of the novel. Wash Me In The Water by Sarah McCartney, is an aquatic scent with notes of grass, rosemary, clary sage, water and myrrh (it has a playlist too!). For me it is a perfume about cleanliness and redemption, which will make even more sense if you read the book.
If you'd like to have a listen to all this and a bit more, the podcast is available in all the usual places and also here