Alex Austin is an award-winning playwright, which is apparent in his convincing teenage dialogue. His young characters are fascinating. Their naïve invincibility, their teenage wants and fears bring them to life. Most of these characters are independently unique and memorable, though a few of them are not so fully fleshed. Sadly, Sam's brother and sister are merely sketches, and his father, while developed throughout the story, in the beginning comes across as an unnecessary tyrant.

All of Austin's Port Beach is magically created; his images are sharp and clear. Austin grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and his local expertise is evident in his prose. This story is illustrated through Sam's voice which is observant and honest, edging on poetic. "With the darkness came the fireflies, which Julie wanted to catch and put in a jar. We ran around the yard, cupping them and depositing them in the jar until we had thirty or forty. But though they continued to glow in the jar, the magic had gone out of their light and what started as a quest for something extraordinary turned solemn. Julie opened the jar and shook them out. As they spread across the night, I watched her face, lost for a moment in their flight and regained magic." But while Sam is observant of the magic in his world, he is equally observant of the dark and ugly realities. Sam's narrative swings between the extremities of tenderness and violence, beauty and filth.

The Perfume Factory is a debut novel for Alex Austin, a touching story, and Sam is a wholly loveable rogue. Sam struggles with his lack of possibilities, of being born into poverty, a soul-depleting, lackluster town, and family dysfunction. He is conflicted with wanting to become better than what he was born into while being sentenced to the life he has. He is a good boy turned sour by the circumstances of his world, which he deals with in this coming-of-age summer.

Laura Rae Amos
lauraraeamos.blogspot.com.