THE PERFUMER'S SECRET
by Neroli Lacey
In Lacey’s novel, a feisty American film director turns her lens on a legendary French perfume house.
New Yorker Zandy Watson is an ambitious, confident 30-year-old associate producer at CNM Documentary Channel who has a plan to work her way up the ladder at her networkand become a director/producer. Then, she hopes, she can make “make a doc that matters,” including a dream project about climate change. Before that can happen, though, her boss insists that she first make a more lucrative film about artisanal perfume in France. She considers quitting, but she knows she can’t make her films on her own, so she takes the assignment. In the south of France, she finds herself intoxicated by the beauty of jasmine fields and the romantic history of perfume company Severin Frères. She initially butts heads with Dominique Severin, the slick CEO, over control of the film project, but chemistry crackles between him and the filmmaker from their first meeting. He’s intensely loyal to his family and its legacy and struggles to keep the business afloat in a world of cutthroat global commerce. His attempts to protect his family’s image only make Zandy more curious. When she uncovers secrets that may be disastrous for the perfumery, she’s reluctant to hide them, and the physical relationship that develops between Zandy and Dominique only complicates things further. Lacey directs the action with precision, expertly and concisely moving plotlines forward. She handles exposition skillfully and includes realistic details of Zandy’s creative and logistical tasks as a filmmaker. Most of the scenes, which are told from Zandy’s and Dominique’s alternating first-person perspectives, provide thoughtful character development and depict snappy encounters between the two leads. Although Dominique’s voice feels authentic, it’s Zandy who steals the show, as she’s willing to rethink her actions when necessary, which makes her a complex, tough, and relatable hero.
A well-crafted tale of self-discovery with a realistically flawed but compelling protagonist.