The Perfume Burned His Eyes

Michael Imperioli

Apr 2018 · Akashic Books

About this ebook

An outer-borough boy moves to the foreign land of Manhattan and befriends Lou Reed, in a novel by the Emmy-winning actor and screenwriter: "A winner."— Library Journal

Matthew is a sixteen-year-old living in Jackson Heights, Queens, in 1976. After he loses his two most important male role models, his father and grandfather, his mother uses her inheritance to uproot Matthew and herself to a posh apartment building in Manhattan. Although only three miles from his boyhood home, "the city" is a completely new and strange world. Soon, he befriends (and becomes a quasi-assistant to) Lou Reed, who lives with his transgender girlfriend in the same building. And the drug-addled, artistic/shamanic musician will eventually become an unorthodox father figure to Matthew, as he moves toward adulthood, adjusts to a new life, and falls head over heels for a girl wise beyond her years.

"Imperioli can definitely write, and he gets high marks for the verisimilitude and empathy that he evokes."— Booklist (starred review)

"A coming-of-age tale dashed with relatable angst and humor."— Entertainment Weekly

"Some fictional trips into 1970s New York abound with nostalgia; this novel memorably opts for grit and heartbreak."— Kirkus Reviews

Ratings and reviews

Really great book, the characters feel incredibly genuine and dynamic. You can tell Michael really studied Lou Reed closely, the way he writes him feels incredibly realistic. You can tell he really has an understanding of the human condition, in ways a lot of authors don't. In a lot of interviews, Michael talks about struggling with writing because he never felt like he had anything to say, and it really shows he put a lot of intention and purpose into this book. Really reminds me of some of SE Hinton's stuff, if you've ever read "The Outsiders" this has a sort of similar feel, although it's a bit more mature. I'm a big fan of character-driven books like this, would definitely recommend to anyone looking for some sort of coming of age novel.

About the author

Michael Imperioli is an author and actor, best known for his starring role as Christopher Moltisanti in the acclaimed TV series The Sopranos, which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Emmy Award. He also wrote five episodes of the show and was co-screenwriter of the film Summer of Sam, directed by Spike Lee. He has appeared in six of Lees films and has also acted in films by Martin Scorsese, Abel Ferrara, Walter Hill, Peter Jackson, and the Hughes Brothers.