Fragrance as a Catalyst for the Emotional Exploration in The Book of Everlasting Things

Aanchal Malhotra’s The Book of Everlasting Things is a deep exploration of the memories and the sense of loss faced by the characters during and after the period of war. This paper is an attempt to dive deep into the minds of the characters and understand how olfactory imagery plays a crucial role in unlocking memories of the past, serving as a bridge that connects generations. The novel offers its reader a delicate understanding of how the scents of the past continue to shape the memories of the present realities, emphasizing the power of memory to both haunt and heal. By analyzing the relationship of the protagonist Samir with scent it can be seen that how, in the hands of Aanchal Malhotra fragrance functions as an invisible yet a gripping voice that echoes the legacy of suffering and survival.