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“Perfume and Pain is our favorite brand of girlfailure literature, chock-full of satire, pulp, and explicit rules on lesbian dating. Astrid Dahl is the trainwreck anti-hero we all long for: a mildly popular, half-cancelled author with a complicated love life and the preternatural ability to say the exact wrong thing at any given moment. The messy and unapologetic nature of Perfume and Pain is deeply compelling, from Astrid's acerbic and irreverent inner monologue to her sort-of love triangle between Ivy (erratic grad student) and Penelope (older, artsy neighbor). Astrid's opinions are often based on her olfactory senses and/or astrology, and her borderline feral behavior is honestly... kind of charming. Can you see why we're so captivated??”
— Ryan and Emma • Quail Ridge Books
“Perceptive and witty—like a Sally Rooney novel set in Southern California.” —Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
“It’s this author’s best work yet. A Sapphic roller-coaster ride.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A controversial LA author attempts to revive her career and finally find true love in this hilarious nod to 1950s lesbian pulp fiction.
Having recently moved both herself and her formidable perfume bottle collection into a tiny bungalow in Los Angeles, mid-list author Astrid Dahl finds herself back in the Zoom writer’s group she cofounded, Sapphic Scribes, after an incident that leaves her and her career lightly canceled. But she temporarily forgets all that by throwing herself into a few sexy distractions—like Ivy, a grad student researching 1950s lesbian pulp who smells like metallic orchids, or her new neighbor, Penelope, who smells like patchouli.
Penelope, a painter living off Urban Outfitters settlement money, immediately ingratiates herself in Astrid’s life, bonding with her best friends and family, just as Astrid and Ivy begin to date in person. Astrid feels judged and threatened by Penelope, a responsible older vegan, but also finds her irresistibly sexy.
When Astrid receives an unexpected call from her agent with the news that actress and influencer Kat Gold wants to adapt her previous novel for TV, Astrid finally has a chance to resurrect her waning career. But the pressure causes Astrid’s worst vice to rear its head—the Patricia Highsmith, a blend of Adderall, alcohol, and cigarettes—and results in blackouts and a disturbing series of events.
Unapologetically feminine yet ribald, steamy yet hilarious, Anna Dorn has crafted an exquisite homage to the lesbian pulp of yore, reclaiming it for our internet and celebrity-obsessed world. With notes of Southern California citrus and sultry smokiness, Perfume and Pain is a satirical romp through Hollywood and lesbian melodrama.
Anna Dorn is the author of the novels Perfume and Pain, Exalted, and Vagablonde. She was a Lambda Literary Fellow and Exalted was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Her next novel American Spirits is forthcoming in 2026. She lives in Los Angeles.