[Book Review] The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Book Title: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Author: Muriel Barbery

No. of Pages: 325

Date Finished: 16/06/'17

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: 

The story's two protagonists consist of a fifty-four-year-old widowed concierge named Renee Michel working in a luxurious hotel in Paris and a twelve-year-old girl named Paloma Josse whose rich family lived in the luxurious hotel in which Renee Michel worked.

The story opens up by introducing to the reader in first person of this seemingly ordinary concierge, who was in fact concealing her true identity as an erudite, sensitive and artistic old lady, who read Tolstoy, admired Russian still-life paintings and enjoyed listening to Mozart.

Also in first person, we learn that Paloma Josse was an intelligent girl brighter than most children her age, born into a political, bourgeois family in Paris, her family often thought more about themselves than to care for others. She tried to conceal her intelligence, and was beginning to become weary of the world, thus desired to commit suicide to end her life in this seemingly pretentious world in which she lived that consisted of her insensitive teachers and her selfish family. The two protagonists display strong contrasts between them- one old, the other young; one poor, the other wealthy, etc. Furthermore, despite the two living in the same building, they led their own lives and hardly mentioned each other in the first few chapters of the book.

At the beginning, one would merely think that one was dealing with a lonely, eccentric and weird old lady and a rebellious, cynical and suicidal preteen. However, as the story progresses, it can be noticed that the two protagonists are very sensitive to the little details of the world around them, living life to the fullest. And the way that Barbery interweaves the two narratives together, often they were talking about similar topics but with different perspectives, really makes one feel very acquainted with the inhabitants of this hotel, who seemed extremely vulgar compared to the two intellectual protagonists, to the point that one can almost feel like one also lives there.

Then, the seemingly monotonous plot was completely twisted with the death of Monsieur Arthens, the family sold their apartment and a Japanese man- Kakuro Ozu moved in to their old apartment. It was Kakuro who first perceived Renee and Paloma's true selves; and united the two protagonists together. The progression of the story brings forth changes and growth in the two main characters, while they learn how to love the world despite its many faults, with the help of this Japanese man. Renee was able to get over her sister's death, which had led to a profound imprint in her childhood that had caused her reluctance to open herself to the world. Eventually she made some new friends and rediscover love after twenty-seven years of widowhood. Paloma was also able to discover love which she never truly experienced in her family, who always seemed to engrossed in their own affairs to care for others. 

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

(not for the faint-hearted)

In the end, after the sudden death of Renee, Paloma finally found the true meaning to her life: "there's a lot of despair, but also the odd moement of beauty, where time is no longer the same......an always within never", and concluded that she wouldn't commit suicide anymore. I, personally, think that this is very elegantly put. 

Something worth mentioning: I've noticed that all of Renee's parts were written in the present tense and Paloma's parts in the past tense. This could imply that Renee was trapped in the shadow of her past, so she always lived in the moment; and Paloma was weary of the present, hence, she wrote in the past tense. This also foreshadows the death of Renee, which the sudden end of the present tense in the text would be likely to bring the reader even more shock than the cease of the past. 

Overall, a very philosophical and thought-provoking read, yet not too cumbersome for one to absorb in one go. From Renee and Paloma's thoughts, we're able to reflect ourselves and the way we view the world. Moreover, one may discover that Paloma and Renee have much in common despite their apparent differences, both in their situation in life and society: both have an extraordinary intelligence which they're eager to conceal, both embrace the Japanese culture, both pay great attention to the minuscule details of the world around them, and both live amongst the inhabitants of number 7, rue de Grenelle. One day, I hope to be able to read this book in its original language - French.