The Smell Collector by David Hill Burns

The Smell Collector is the story of a man who lives in lives in nearly a constant state of nostalgia. He uses smells as a sort of time machine to relive the good times of his life. But the problem is that he's no longer living any kind of life at all. He spends his time roaming the city to visit his smell collection or in his mother's basement working in a laboratory to synthesize smells he has carefully documented. Enter Marie, another lonely heart. And this is where it gets a little creepy. He begins stalking her, in a manner, for her scent which he finds intoxicating.

I imagine that many people put the book down once then realize that Jim is a stalker, but I continued because I was curious enough. I'm very glad that I did. The Smell Collector is an unusual love story (without saying too much about it).

It's written a little oddly. It's a collection of narratives both first person and 3rd person, journal entries, smell profiles (how he documents his collection), and diary entries...oh and one Christmas card I suppose you could call it an epistolary novella. What I did not expect is that although it seems to be a quirky comedy, it packs a few emotional punches. I even cried, which I rarely do while reading.

The story is very basic, but the character development and themes are sophisticated enough to make it special.

This is a quick read. I read it over the course of two evenings, so you have little to lose, and I think it is well worth the time.