"I have just finished reading a great little
novel, The Perfume Factory by Alex Austin. It is a dark and gritty
coming-of-age story set in the 60's. . . . His young characters are fascinating.
Their naïve invincibility, their teenage wants and fears bring them to life."
— Laura Rae Amos, Blogcritics (Full
Review)
"This
coming-of-age novel, set at the northern tip of the Jersey shore in the blue-collar
wastelands of Raritan Bay, will captivate you from start to finish. It's Catcher
In The Rye as re-imagined by Bruce Springsteen. . . . I couldn't put this down."
— Jim Testa, Jersey Beat
The
Perfume
Factory
A Novel
by
Alex Austin
Available now at bookstores nationwide, and online at Amazon.com
and Barnes&Noble.com
Click to Order
ISBN: 1-58961-404-6
$21.95 Published November 2005 by PageFree Publishing (269)
692-3926
Distributed by Ingram and Baker & Taylor
Critical Acclaim for The Perfume Factory
"This
is the working-class accurately portrayed in the conflict between an abusive
father and his rebellious son. This is a powerful story, well told." —
Allen Caruba, Bookviews
"Sam
is an effective, against-the-grain main character. Huck Finn might come to mind,
and rightly so: Austin's authoring skills and ear for human rhythms of speech
elevate The Perfume Factory to a lofty level of achievement indeed." —
Geoff Rotuno, The Boox Review
"First-time
novelist Austin draws a sharp, affecting portrait of wrong-side-of-the-tracks
hopelessness, Jersey style. He captures perfectly the tone of teenage life,
the aimlessness of finding something to do and the hesitant, meandering conversations
of a budding romance. Through Sam's warring impulses, the author also probes
the serious moral conundrums of youth, as he tries to break free of his self-absorption,
engage with the world and solidify his character against the pressures of external
circumstances." — Kirkus Discoveries Named 2005 Kirkus Recommended!
