Meanwhile, in present-day, a 'genius waitress' named Priscilla struggles with a difficult job in a low-end Mexican restaurant. Alobar and Kudra, successful in their immortality, travel about Europe until the 17th century, when they attempt a sort of new transcendental meditation and become separated into different astral planes. As with most of Robbins' couples, their mutual libido is enormous, and their love quite like something out of a fairy tale.Īfter an encounter with a mysterious group known as 'The Bandaloop Doctors,' Alobar is set down the path towards eternal life, which, according to Robbins, can be attained by a consistent ritual of controlled breath work, simple eating, sex, and bathing in extremely hot water. In India, he meets a girl, Kudra, who goes on to become his wife. After fleeing, no longer a king but a simple peasant, he travels through Eurasia, and eventually meets the goat-god Pan, who is slowly losing his powers as the world turns toward Christianity.

The novel is a self-described epic, with four distinct storylines, one set in 8th century Bohemia and three others in modern day New Orleans, Seattle, and Paris.Ī powerful and righteous 8th century king named Alobar narrowly escapes regicide at the hands of his own subjects, as it is their custom to kill the king at the first sign of aging.

Beets and the god Pan figure prominently. The major themes of the book include the striving for immortality, the meaning behind the sense of smell, individual expression, self-reliance, sex, love, and religion. Jitterbug Perfume is Tom Robbins' fourth novel, published in 1984. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.

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