Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins (#4, Contemporary Literature)

I love love love this book. It's just so weird and quirky and well written. My first Tom Robbins novel was Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas and when I compare Jitterbug Perfume to it, I must say that I wish I had started my Robbins love affair with this one instead. The characters in this one are so much more likable and the four separate yet interwoven storylines are so much more interesting and riveting.

Jitterbug Perfume smacks of wisdom and reminds me of tarot cards. There is so much symbolism and history and folklore. Immortality is what the characters are searching for and it is through the sense of smell that we learn about death and the ancient figure Pan. This book inspires me, not to look for immortality, but to create something as vivid and layered and funny as this book was.