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Simon & Schuster

Perfume and Pain: A Novel

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“Perceptive and witty—like a Sally Rooney novel set in Southern California.” —The Minnesota Star Tribune “It’s this author’s best work yet. A Sapphic roller-coaster ride.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A controversial Los Angeles-based author attempts to revive her career and finally find true love in this hilarious nod to 1950s lesbian pulp fiction and Hollywood satire. 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 disturbing series of events. Unapologetically feminine yet ribald, steamy yet hilarious, Anna Dorn has crafted an exquisite homage to the lesbian pulp of yore, reclaiming it for our internet and celebrity-obsessed world. With notes of Southern California citrus and sultry smokiness, Perfume and Pain is a satirical romp through Hollywood and lesbian melodrama. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster


Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more


Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 21, 2024


Language ‏ : ‎ English


File size ‏ : ‎ 3.6 MB


Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported


Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled


X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled


Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Good
Format: Paperback
Great book. I read it as book club for the month of June celebrating Pride month! Came quickly and was in perfect shape
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2026 by sierra brinkley
    • A fun read
Format: Paperback
If you like Anna Dorn’s other books you’ll love this one. The prose is sharp and quick and practically begs you to keep reading. And I’m always a fan of less-than-pristine narrators. I only really have two complaints: 1) it does feel a bit *too much* like Dorn’s other novels and 2) the exclamation points. I struggle to take books seriously that use so many exclamation points outside of dialogue (I don’t even like them in dialogue really). Obviously that’s just a personal preference of mine but, well, it’s my review. The book is still great, though. And I always love when actual queer people are writing queer books (as opposed to cisheteros appropriating queer stories so they and their agents can capitalize on it). ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2024 by avery
    • Book
Format: Paperback
Disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2024 by anonymous
    • Weird girl lit for the win!!
Format: Paperback
Great book, I enjoyed it. Definitely “weird girl lit”
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2026 by Ali
    • Compulsively readable satire
Format: Paperback
The Run-Down: Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn is a compulsively readable satire about a messy, problematic lesbian writer that’s delightfully—yet occasionally slightly worryingly—subtle. Review: Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn is the sort of book that feels like it could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands, much in the same way that American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis (to whom this book makes several allusions) could be seen as aspirational by the very people it attempts to mock. The main character, problematic lesbian author Astrid Dahl is utterly captivating to read about. She’s a successful writer who, despite being recently “cancelled,” gains a movie deal for one of her books with a famous actress’s production company. Astrid copes with her social discomfort (and probable autism, although she won’t admit it to herself except in jest) and need for attention with a combination of drugs she calls the “Patty Highsmith” and a series of obsessive relationships with women who are somehow more toxic and obsessive than her. Also, she’s straight-up a bad person? She’s self-centered, reckless, and destructive to those around her. At the same time, however, Dorn makes it hard not to empathize with her—and even root for her at times. Unable to stop herself from silencing her opinion, the brash and self-aware Astrid will express some of the vilest queerphobic viewpoints imaginable and in the next breath make a refreshingly honest and insightful point about lesbianism and modern society. The real question is where the satire stops (if it ever does) and the earnestness begins, which is what makes Perfume and Pain feel transgressive and risky. You might like this book if . . . • You like to read fast-paced, satirical books about messy, white, problematic queer people • You’re interested in explorations of online fame, toxic relationships, and modern lesbian (and queer) identities • You enjoy books that discuss LA celebrity culture and cultural narcissism You might not like this book if . . . • You don’t want to read the POV of a character who expresses extremely harmful and hateful opinions about other queer people • You don’t like to read about interpersonal relationship drama • You want to read a book that takes a obvious, in-text stance against its characters’ immoral and problematic behavior ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024 by thecriticalreader
    • the best read
Format: Paperback
such a good book im obsessed
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2025 by Ashlyn
    • contemporary satirical nod to 50's lesbian pulp
Format: Kindle
(3.75/5 stars) Perfume & Pain by Anna Dorn is a contemporary and satirical nod to 1950s lesbian pulp fiction. Astrid is a disaster lesbian novelist who is in a bit of a slump. After an incident where she's called out on something she said, she struggles with sobriety and the allure of two women--a manic pixie dream girl of a PhD student studying lesbian pulp fiction and a more mature and settled vegan artist living off an Urban Outfitters settlement. Astrid is, at times, a polarizing and unlikeable main character. She leans into mania and her favorite intoxication routine, which she's named The Patricia Highsmith: a blend of alcohol, weed, amphetamine, and cigarettes. But I did always find myself rooting for her. If you're a fan of trainwrecks, downfalls, and the climb back up, you should absolutely pick this up, especially if you are a sapphic. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2024 by rusereviews
    • wholly chaotic
Format: Paperback
This is one of those books I wanted to DNF during the first half but was glad to kept with it. The second half worked better for me. I’m not sure if the first half is just slow or Astrid just grated on me until I got used to her or what but by the end, I was happy to have read it all. Astrid is written as unlikeable and I for sure did not like her. Some have said that she was charming but I didn’t find anything charming about her, I found her to be insufferable. She’s a writer trying to come up with her next book while also juggling a chaotic love life. However, she hides behind Adderall and alcohol, is narcissistic and wholly unreliable as a narrator. They say this is a “hilarious nod to 1950s lesbian pulp fiction” but if it was, it went over my head. I’m almost positive I’ve never read anything classified as lesbian pulp. So please go read other reviews for that comparison. I will say that Astrid’s commentary on Carole (The Price of Salt) did make me laugh. I was very happy to see a lesbian agree with me on how terrible Carole is. Astrid has lots of thoughts and I actually agreed with some of them. I wasn’t a fan of how she always relayed those thoughts but she wasn’t always wrong, although she often times was. While I did get invested in Astrid and her story, I thought her growth came a little too late and while it didn’t come out of nowhere, it didn’t make sense how quickly it came about. The ending as a whole felt rushed after the slow start. I don’t think everyone will love this but I do think some will absolutely love it. It’s very much one of those that you have to read and figure it out for yourself. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2024 by LM

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