The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles by Hemangini Dutt Majumder
My take on the book:
Olympia Ghoshal Chatterge aka Ollie has a special power to sniff even the faintest smells, due to a hormonal condition. Ollie who was orphaned at the age of six lived with her aunt Basanti Chatterge whom she called Fishy (derived from Pishi — Bengali for paternal aunt). Fishy adopted Ellora (lovingly called Laura) who once worked as a house help in her parents’ house. The Chatterge ladies lived with their adopted cat Habeas Corpus (named by lawyer Fishy) in Kolkata.
After Fishy won a long-fought legal battle for share in her ancestral house Neelbari in Chandannagar, against her stepmother Labanga Lathika, the Chatterge ladies decide to shift to Neelbari. Neelbari already had a handful of interesting residents — Labanga Latika who is a famous classical dancer with political aspirations, her cousin Rupa who ran a fruit and vegetable jam workshop; Shankar a priest in the Chatterge’s temple but had romantic liaisons with Labanga Latika, and house helps who worked for the Chatterge’s for generations.
The Chatterge ladies had to share a section of the house with the hostile Labanga Latika and endure the rumors of the mansion being haunted by Fishy’s grandmother Manibala’s ghost. As Ollie explored their new house and its surroundings, skeletons and dead bodies tumbled one after the other. Will Ollie and Laura be able to find the reason behind this mystery form the rest of the story.
Right from the title to the cover to the character names, this book has a fresh premise and unique writing style of the author which we do not see in Indian novels. Ollie’s ability to sniff is such an integral part of the story that after a point, the reader will be curious to know what Ollie is sensing around her in that particular scene. This heightened sense of Ollie’s ability to smell is the USP of the story. The subtle and sarcastic humor is another highlight of the story.
The Bengali words thrown in generously add to the nativity and the backdrop, so does the food that the Chatterge ladies keep relishing. The main characters are strong but also have their share of vulnerabilities making them relatable to the reader. The eccentric nature of the supporting characters along with the mystery around Neelbari’s mansion keeps the reader’s interest till the end.
The story also deals with prevailing issues like hormonal troubles in young women; superstitions which have upperhand over logic, especially in rural areas and how they are still used in today’s world to instill fear in ordinary people.
However, the pace of the story, especially in the first half, is slow as the author introduces all characters and their back stories and the story only picks pace once the story shifts to Neelbari. While the first half will appeal to those who are invested in the lives of the Chatterge ladies and curious about where the story will lead, for normal readers the story may feel dragged.
Also, readers who regularly read mysteries will be able to guess the perpetrators as the author leaves clues well before the climax and the limited number of characters makes it easy to guess. Danish’s character impresses as long as he is there and has potential which is not explored enough.
If the slow first half can be ignored, the world of Neelbari and its residents will entertain the reader. Pick this one to read a unique story of smells.
My rating:
3.5/5.