perfume and pain is a toxic, witty, sarcastic, and fun book. it revolves around the main character, Astrid Dahl, a cold, 30-something lesbian writer and serial-dater. this book, uncovers a whole miasma of queer and sapphic norms while also poking fun at them in a fantastically satire way. over the course of the novel, Astrid partakes in more and more toxicity as she falls into the traps of “psycho femme fatales” and scathingly political queerness in the modern writing world (in a way it’s extremely similar to that of Yellowface by RF Kuang). To cope with the self (and non-self) hatred, Astrid pays homage to the writer Patricia Highsmith and brings about her downfall through a series of pharmacological highs and self-loathing lows. At times she is only slightly inebriated, and rude at best, but at other times, Astrid is unbearably high on the “Patricia Highsmith” (her own special cocktail of drugs, alcohol, and bad decisions), and I found the first 3/4 hard to stomach. However, Perfume and Pain is an enjoyable and a fun read that touches on self discovery and the importance of discussing our world and the negative patterns we fall into.

Really enjoyed how Anna Dorn writes her characters; messy, relatable, slightly unhinged. Between the literary references dropped throughout, and how the main character explored / obsessed over fragrances based on what she was experiencing in that moment, made the narrative easy to fall into.

The couple times I fell out of the narrative was when the main character repeatedly gagged over the use of the word “queer” (both outwardly and as part of her internal dialogue). She also got the only non-binary character fired off a film set, with little remorse or retrospection…which felt like an out-of-place plot point.

I unfortunately did not vibe with this book and ended up DNFing at 30%. I was really looking forward to it cause I heard it was like Pulp Fiction but lesbians and I LOVED how that sounded but I think this writing style was not for me. In terms of how it was written, I think it was really well done for someone else but for me, it didn’t keep me hooked and I ended up putting it down with the hopes of picking up again but never found the desire to do so. Thank you for the opportunity for the arc and I’m saddened that it was not for me.

I read Perfume & Pain by Anna Dorn and thoroughly appreciated it.

The main character, Astrid, is morally gray. After being cancelled for saying some questionable things in an interview, her novel is purchased for a movie adaptation. Nonetheless, Astrid isn’t one to focus on a project. She has many things on her plate: dating women, attempting to write another book, participating in a lesbian writing zoom group she created and trying to avoid her patchouli-scented older neighbour, Penelope.

I found the writing to be enjoyable. I sometimes even forgot I was reading. It almost seemed like reading a diary about Astrid’s successes and screw-ups. She’s definitely wilder than I’ve ever been, yet she’s relatable in that her decisions often lead to mistakes and she takes time to learn from them.

I recommend this book if you’re looking to read a sapphic pulp fiction that’ll leave you laughing, judging, shocked and invested.

Thanks for the arc, @simonandschuster and @netgalley

This review is my honest opinion.

4.25⭐️

An all vibes, no plot character story about Astrid, a funny yet tragic protagonist, who continues falling into the same cycles of self-sabotage and toxicity even though she badly wants to change. It felt a bit sleepy at first, but I was hooked by Astrid’s voice–she was so delusional and hilarious that I felt engaged enough to see the story through to her various juicy antics that came up later in the story. Despite her ups and downs, Astrid clung on to her willingness to change, and I finished the book feeling unexpectedly personally optimistic about my own life.

I really wanted to like this book. I think I am just not a literary fiction person. This book felt like a slog to get through

Believe it or not, I’m not well-versed in the world of lesbian pulp. But that didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying Anna Dorn’s “Perfume & Pain.”

Is “Perfume & Pain” a sapphic "ValleyvOfvThevDolls" for millennials? Yes.

Is “Perfume & Pain” a sly exploration of addiction and depression and toxicity? Also yes.

But more than anything else, “Perfume & Pain” is entertaining as hell, with a whip-smart anti-hero of a protagonist as self-sabotaging as she is calculated.

And it’s packed so chockfull of quippy pop-culture references. Amy Sherman-Palladino, is that you?

Loved it.

It’s a shame this book isn’t t scratch ’n’ sniff! Scents are plot points in this queer rom-com about the professional and romantic misadventures of successful but recently-disgraced novelist Astrid, who also happens to be a fraghead (as perfume enthusiasts are known). The Los Angeles writer and former Lambda Literary Fellow combines evocative descriptions with an update of 1950s lesbian pulp fiction to satirize sanctimonious writers’ groups, queer romance stereotypes and cancel culture and I loved every page of it.

Astrid is an unlikeable protagonist but you also cannot help but like her because she truly has no sense of how unlikeable she is.

Astrid has no clue what she wants and that’s evident the entire book which made the story very perplexing. But I was eager the entire time for her to get some sort of redemption arc.

This was my first Anna Dorn book and I was very impressed.

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I started this book, but the intro paragraph and act one by Brett Easton Ellis really sets the mood and vibe. Readers of Ellis’ work, we’ll see the parallels and the homage paid to his writing style.

Perfume and pain felt like extreme of conscious diary of one woman’s existence in a snapshot time frame of her life. Author and story heroine, Astrid is looking for love and success in LA as a lesbian in her 30s. Inspired by lesbian pulp fiction of the mid 20th century, Astrid attempts to write her next greatest novel, as she is simultaneously coming off of her addiction to alcohol and amphetamines, falling in love/ lust and fighting off stalkers…

There’s a lot going on in this book, while at the same time there is not lot going on. This book left me questioning long after I had finished the last page.

Overall, this was a very intriguing book and I found a very easy to get lost within its pages.

This book was such a pleasant surprise! I loved all the pop culture references in the book. It was quirky and funny but not too over the top. Anna's writing is really wonderful. I was captivated from the start. Such a fun read. Would highly recommend this one!

ironically, i have a love-hate relationship with my reading of this novel. it was racy, tornado, neurotic, lesbian... all things i love! but it was also insufferable at times, and doing roundabouts. i guess it's the point a bit, as it's supposed to mimic dynamics in 1950s lesbian pulp fictions.

at the core of this novel is astrid dahl - to read this novel is to learn about her. astrid is this well-fleshed out recovering addict and cancelled writer who probably has undiagnosed adhd and is chronically online (as reflected in the voice). as a character, she's fun, trashy, interesting and so very unlikeable. like i'd hate to be her friend. the novel, and astrid, was fast-paced, weirdly compelling if at times i needed a break from it all, feeling overfed.

i also found that astrid's character was a bit of a mouthpiece. while astrid did her best to at times not be slightly offensive, i found that she was critical at times, others, she was a bit skewed and had underdeveloped opinions. she's knowledgeable here, and then totally ignorant over there (and when it wouldn't really make sense since they would be interlinked, sorta). i was just scratching my head as to how it could be in one character... but it's astrid dahl so oh well! as for other characters, i liked them well enough in my head but they were weaker compared to the main character - they kinda stayed closer to prototypes.

astrid is a 'cancelled' writer as i have said. but i find personally that this cancellation aspect was not full brought to its fullest. it should have been more forward in my opinion, bcs it's a rather rare thing to be one self be the subject of cancellation - the internet makes it seems like everyone is getting cancelled left and right but really it happens to a very small percentage of people on this planet. the opportunity for a more thorough exploration was there and missed unfortunately. it would have been even more interesting especially when it wasn't even bad and that 'cancellation' isn't even a cancellation (homegirl is still getting a movie for her books even after the backlash). it was set to be a rather prominent thing in the story but it was mostly used as a prop for conversation.

overall, i like it enough to be now intrigued by anna dorn's previous works but i would have changed a fair bit of it.

This one is for the girls! The characters are sharp and Dorn spritzes delightful literary and fragrance references throughout.

Anna Dorn loves chaotic, insufferable, self-sabotaging queer women (though Astrid would be mad I described her that way), and so do I. Dorn’s version of disaster woman in Exalted is what made me request the galley for Perfume and Pain - somehow, despite how frustrating and downright annoying her characters can be, she makes us want better for them, to see them grow into better people, even if it will be a long long journey. Astrid Dahl is materially secure but otherwise adrift in her early thirties - she's had success in writing but has been “lightly cancelled”, she has no trouble finding dates but they are often toxic, she’s in touch with her family but feels their disappointment even from afar. In this season of her life, her insecurities are doubled due to her attempt to quit her vices amidst a huge career break (a TV show adaptation), a new crush (writing group mate Ivy, and her annoying neighbour (nosy but sexy Penelope). How will she cope with going at life raw?

Astrid knows she’s a mess - she makes choices that she feels unraveling before she’s made them. She’s successful and even comfortable, but can’t seem to get her footing in who she is and this makes her selfish and reckless. The self loathing and insecurity is just below the surface at all times, and attempting sobriety makes this even more apparent. I was frustrated by her but also sad for her, and understood why she did what she did. And in a way, I couldn’t wait to see what foolishness she’d get into next. What surprised me and made me really enjoy this novel was the sweet earnestness that came out at the end. I hurt for Astrid, and then felt proud of her for learning to show that she cares, and do right by those around her that deserve it, including herself.

Though I'm not well acquainted with the genre, I found the references to lesbian pulp charming and even devastating at times, and I need to read the Price of Salt! Dorn is doing a lot in this novel, and but she does it well. I recommend to fans of Halle Butler and Melissa Broder, and of course newfound Dorn-heads like myself.

Who doesn’t want a homage to 1950’s-60’s lesbian pulp fiction? And written by Anna Dorn? You know it’s in good hands.

Perfume and Pain is about a messy, self sabotaging, frustrated millennial lesbian with a capital L women named Astrid. She has poor impulse control alongside a heavy reliance on alcohol and drugs to be more “fun”.

Will you want to shake Astrid multiple times throughout this book? Absolutely. Will she anger you with her outdated views and reluctance to just keep her mouth shut? Probably! But you’ll also root for her to do better, be better.

This book is sexy, funny, addicting. Anna Dorn is such a captivating writer and I will read anything she puts out in the future (as well as immediately consuming her backlist!)

If Yellowface and My Year of Rest and Relaxation had a lesbian child together, it would be this book. Dorn used lesbian pulp tropes so effectively here, and I had a great time in the head of such an unlikeable narrator. I was very afraid going into this that the perfume imagery would turn gimmicky, but Dorn did an excellent job at weaving it meaningfully into the story and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to figure out what fragrances she was referencing. All in all, this was a fun and biting book that scratched just the right itch for me.

Not for me. The summary described it as a fun, comedic, lesbian pulp fiction.
There was nothing funny about this except the main characters audacity.
The main character astrid, is self destructive, hateful and ignorant.
Another reviewer described it as a "bojack horsemen" character type but the plot was all around rough.
After being "canceled" for using derogatory terms at a book panel, astrid is advised by her agent to relax and take some personal time. In the beginning there is alot of discussion on lesbian culture and the harmful stereotypes that lesbians are acussed of. But astrid is the harmful stereotype. Disgusted to the point of almost gagging at the idea of bi/pansexuals and believes other queers that dont identify as gay or lesbian, hurt lgbtq people. She has downright sexist attitude and refuses to take accountability.
Astrid moves and her new neighbour penelope is an older lesbian that astrid immediately hates and judges based on appearance but then slowly starts to like penelope
I would say it'd be a good journey on drugs and sexuality and acceptance but astrid doesnt learn anything about acceptance and sexuality (stops sleeping with people/friends but questions why those friends wouldnt pick her to date after everything that astrid has said and done)

Perfume and Pain is a high-octane character study of Astrid, an LA author in her mid-30s who cannot stop falling into the same cycles of toxic women and vice cocktails. She is ruining her own life, on a roller coaster to oblivion, when she’s trampled by a circus of circumstances that motivate her to turn her life around. Astrid is hatable yet endearing, honest to a fault, and a melodramatic darling. You’ll love this book if you love supporting women’s wrongs.

Astrid’s inner monologue is intimate and vulnerable, voicing nasty, insecure judgements similar to those I’ve had of both myself and others in my weakest moments. The supporting cast is witty and I enjoyed her banter with all of them. Despite the theatrical personalities of each character, they all felt human in the imperfect and messy way that humans are. What I liked most about Perfume and Pain is that by the end of the book Astrid still isn’t the most enlightened version of herself. She’s improved significantly in one aspect of her life—impulse control—but she does not stop being an awkward over-thinker. And this does not stop her from being loved.

Seeing just how rock-bottom she was made me feel all the more proud of Astrid for putting in the work to heal herself and foster healthier interpersonal connections. Perfume and Pain highlights the difficulties of finding and keeping genuine relationships as an introvert. I very much related to Astrid’s over-achiever-who-can’t-ask-for-help energy and her paradoxical need to seek others’ approval while dreading being perceived. The more she tries to project an effortlessly cool and unbothered image, the more she tears herself apart. This book intricately demonstrates how much we get in our own ways, but also how important our environment is to helping or hindering personal growth.

I’m not rating this book higher than 4 stars because there were a lot of references that went over my head, which I can’t evaluate the merits of. Lesbian pulp fiction of the 1950s is not a topic that I had previous exposure to, and not one that I’d gain a deep-enough appreciation for after some superficial research just to understand the book’s references. So, as a commentary on modern lesbian/queer culture, I can’t say that it really wowed me or changed my perspective (perhaps because my exposure to the culture is too Gen Z, a rift the book itself points out). I did, however, start listening to Cat Power, who, in my estimation, ran so Lana Del Rey could walk.

I haven't read any of Anna Dorns other books, but if they're anything like Perfume and Pain, I think she's going to be added to my small list of favourite authors. (Alongside Mona Awad, Leigh Bardugo, and Eva Ibbotson she'll be in great company).

Supposedly an ode to 1950s lesbian pulp fiction, my only experience with the genre is from this novel, so far, so I don't really know how it stands up in that regard. But wow I loved this book so much, it really scratched an itch in my brain... I found myself reading super slowly and reading other books in between chapters because I didn't want it to end.

The story is about an LA author who is just a mess. Alcoholic drug addict, keeps getting cancelled online because she has no filter, obsessed with dating and just falling apart in so many ways, but I loved her so much. Its honestly probably a red flag how much I love this kind of 'unlikeable female character'. I wish I had no morals or shame so I could also be an awful mess of a person who just does and says whatever she wants. But luckily for everyone, I'll have to stick to reading about it instead.

The great thing about this book though, is that under the surface it was lot more than just a satirical look at Hollywood and Queer culture and Lesbian Pulp... It had a lot of heart and ultimately was the story of a woman with a lot of problems learning how to get better and to like herself. I loved the chaotic vibe of this book but I also loved the calm, feel-good, and tranquil ending.

If this book sounds up your alley at all based on my review I definitely recommend picking up a copy when it's out May 21, or you can pre-order it like I'm about to,(because I read this digitally but I NEED to own it). Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for the Netgalley arc, without which I may not have read this fantastic book!

I absolutely devoured Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn. I loved how raw and brutally honest this book was in terms of addiction, lesbianism and finding your place among the ever-changing spectrum of sexuality. I enjoyed the way that Astrid, our main character, was never reliable in any sense and was very self-aware of all of her flaws, yet didn't do much to improve them in any way.
Stories about flawed queer identifying characters are important, and I think the way Perfume and Pain is delivered is an excellent mix between funny and light-hearted with darker and more introspective undertones throughout. A lot of Astrid's behavior and qualms with others misusing queerness could be very relatable for those who have identified as LGBTQIA+ as the definitions and identities have grown and changed over the last few decades.
Overall, I thought this book was incredibly entertaining and full of dark humor. Fans of Melissa Broder and Mona Awad would love this book.