I picked up this book to review as I wanted to explore the ways of enquiry and how they’re used in different genres. Th Scratch and Sniff Chronicles turned out to be quite different from what I had imagined! The blurbs promised that there were mysteries to be solved and there would be some sniffing out of clues aka Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes–there definitely is some amount of detective enquiry towards the end. Whatever there is, is embedded and intertwined in a lot of other things.
The book weaves together the quintessential aspects of the Bengali bhadralok and it is a quaint mixture of traditional Bengali culture and western (British and French) cultures– from the names, to the dishes, the wines and the language, metaphors included. The descriptions of food and feasts reflect the same fusion as in the pairing of wines with traditional Bengali food and the feasts at Neelbari. It is a book that the Bengali bhadralok and their children and those, like me, who are familiar with Bengali families, will enjoy. For others, it is a little difficult to get into in the beginning as there is too much diverse information to absorb.
Another interesting aspect is the powerful presence of women of different generations in the book and their singular power. There is no powerful or oppressive character, dead or alive; Shankar, the influential panda, comes closest to a male trying to manipulate, but he too is kept in check by one of the women! The young women are in their late twenties but remain unmarried. Ollie’s menstrual irregularities are mentioned off and on as they are related to her uncanny sense of olfaction.
Names are another intriguing aspect of the book which blends Bengali and European cultural aspects. Ollie, the main protagonist, is Olympia, born in London and Fishy is her Pishi or aunt in Bengali.
While the second part of the book is gripping and like any good detective fiction, grips the reader, the first part of the book is fast moving but jumpy, and therefore a bit confusing. New characters and events are introduced fast, often with few connectors. Hence, it would be accessible to those young either familiar with the context or highly proficient in complex reading. More mature adults will enjoy the book for cultural fusion and detective fiction.