The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery is French fiction that leaned heavily into personal philosophy. The story alternates between two characters: Renée, a middle-aged concierge of an apartment and Paloma, a 12-year old resident who has pledged to kill herself on her 13th birthday.
These 2 characters have rich inner lives but show themselves to be stereotypes of their age (impudent teen and uninteresting woman). They both have a love of Japanese culture and bond together when a Japanese man moves into the building. They both bloom in the friendship they develop with Ozu.
I didn’t like much of the book, with it leaning heavily in French philosophy. I thought it would be a happy ending but Renée is killed in a traffic accident. I think the story is about redemption couched in how we affect other people’s lives. The “happy” ending part is that Paloma, because of Renée’s death, decides not to suicide.
This was a book club selection for the month of August, I was just way ahead on reading it.
