Elegance of the Hedgehog

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery is for those of us who sometimes feel unappreciated and unloved, a novel that celebrates the invisible among us. I loved this book, as much for the beauty of the language as for the deliciousness of the plot. Renee is concierge at a luxury apartment building in Paris whose bourgeois residents daily ignore her existence except when they need her. For her own entertainment, she follows the lives of the residents and revels in her anonymity. It is when the new apartment owner moves in that the real action of the book picks up. Well versed in Japanese culture, Renee quietly observes the Japanese man who is warm in his attention to her intelligence and wit. Paloma, an almost thirteen year old resident, lives a secret existence beyond what others might think, but she has decided to end it all until she meets the new resident. Isn't it magical that when we receive the attention we desire our lives take us on a journey of discovery we couldn't have anticipated. Check out this wonderful book at our library. PSR