Book review, This Is What It Smells Like

I have written this review for Cathy Adams' new novel. I hope people read her book.

This Is What It Smells Like

by Cathy Adams

A Review

               This recently published first novel by Cathy Adams is a delightful read, filled with the best traditions of Southern Gothic fiction. The novel’s quirky, interesting characters lead lives which run the gamut from wacky to profound.

               The protagonist Valentine must come to terms with her past and with her family when her estranged father Ray and his step son Luis return to North Carolina so that Ray can die there. Val’s mother Tess, a delightful free spirit, must deal with her ex-husband and their own past. Tess is the catalyst for some of the novel’s most interesting misadventures. Valentine must deal with a dying father, her father’s step son, and her wacky mother as she learns the secrets of her own past. As the title implies, Val is gifted with an unusual sense of smell which gives her unique insights into the personalities and emotions of those around her. Adams conveys this olfactory sense effectively, especially since our language has comparatively few words that relate to smells.

               The Southern Gothic elements of the book seem to reflect influences from William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Erskine Caldwell. the multiple first-person perspectives are reminiscent of Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying, though this novel is more accessible. The religious elements of the novel, especially those revolving around the Catholic Church, recall some of O’Connor’s fiction. And finally the delightfully macabre sense of humor may reflect the influence Caldwell’s novels such as Tobacco Road and God’s Little Acre.

               Overall, This Is What It Smells Like is an entertaining and sometimes profound book. It will leave the reader with a thoughtful smile, wishing for more.