What's a wonderful book! I listened to an Audible version of this book with narrators Barbara Rosenblat and Cassandra. I can't decide if I like the book or the narrators. Either way, I have enjoyed it immensely.The story has two "kindred spirits": Renee, a 54 year old concierge and self proclaimed auto-didact and Paloma, a 12 year old genius who want to commit suicide on her 13th birthday.Renee loves to read philosophy and literature. She also enjoys art. But she doesn't want anyone to know that anything but a poor concierge so she keeps these interests secret. Paloma is also secretive. She hides from her family and has a journal in which she writes profound thoughts.Mr Ozu is a rich man who has moved into the apartment building. He is friendly and polite.One day Paloma sees that Renee has a book of philosophy and along with Mr. Izumi decides that there might be more to the concierge than she is letting on. This leads to friendships formed between these three people.After forming these unusual friendships, the book ends in a very unexpected way. Caveat: For a book that I really didn't think I'd enjoy, by the length of this commentary, it would seem that I loved it. The characters and the ideas continue to linger in my heart and mind. This book had been highly recommended to me, thus I began reading with eagerness, but what a slow start! The language seemed stilted to me, perhaps the result of the book being a translation. But also the style was more like a series of essays by the two narrators: Renee, the “short, plump, ugly” concierge of an apartment complex in Paris, who is also an “autodidact”; and Paloma, a 12-year-old precocious thinker, who decides to commit suicide when she turns 13 because she feels that life is completely meaningless. They are both living very isolated, solitary lives. However, as the story unfolds, readers discover that neither of the two is really who she appears to be (external vs. internal). Several times I thought I’d close the book and walk away, but because I wanted to see what folks liked about it so much, I plodded through the convoluted sentences and philosophical sections (that were somewhat obtuse), sure that there was more to this than appears. In looking at the book as a whole, it too has “the elegance of the hedgehog.” What an intriguing title! Shortly before it is addressed in the book, I had figured out that Renee and Paloma were like the hedgehog—completely different on the outside than what they were like on the inside. Both the internal lives were elegant and sophisticated, intellectual and philosophical; they are lovers of art and literature. How delighted I was to read this comment a few pages later. “Madame Michel has the elegance of the hedgehog: on the outside, she’s covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary—and terribly elegant” (143). Deciding to have her hair cut and styled is the beginning of Renee’s emergence! (187).When Mr. Ozu enters the story, everything about the book changes: the pace, the language, the interaction of the characters. It’s as if the book emerges simultaneously with the flowering of Renee and Paloma, as they move toward integrity in their internal and external lives. Being recognized and valued as an individual causes perspective of life to change—as Renee and Paloma become friends, and then become friends with Mr. Ozu—and as Renee discovers love. The style reflects the renewal of hope and meaning in the characters’ lives. What is anticipated and expected doesn't happen as the book ends--another surprise among many in the book. A very poignant scene (303) for me: Renee has finally agreed to go to dinner with Mr. Ozu, after being so afraid of what might happen in their relationship. She borrows a dress in anticipation of the event. On their way out of the apartment complex, two of the women residents (who have always thought of themselves as superior to Renee—she’s only the concierge) pass them and say hello to Mr. Ozu, but they don’t acknowledge her. Renee says, “They didn’t recognize me.” She’s flabbergasted—and then repeats herself. Mr. Ozu turns to her and says, “It is because they have never seen you. . . . I would recognize you anywhere.” Oh, I love that! He knows her; he sees her as she really is! Renee has lived with fear all of her life that she is like her sister and that she’ll be used and abandoned if she dares to love. At dinner, though she has never expressed this fear to Mr. Ozu, he says to her, “You are not your sister.” Liberation! Moments of beauty, love, light and life break into the “quiet desperation” of the common life—and they shine with brilliance. That’s one facet of the book that gives great pleasure to readers.
What do You think about La Elegancia Del Erizo (2007)?
Fiction, originally in French, translated by Alison Anderson. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time! I enjoyed every minute of reading this book, even when I had to re-read lines occasionally to make sure I grasped the complicated philosophy the main characters were debating and explaining. The setting is an expensive French apartment building with some very well-to-do and very bourgeois occupants. The chapters alternate between two characters narrating, the first is Renee, the 54-year-old concierge who takes care of the building and who does not want anybody to know how intelligent she is (loves Tolstoy), feeling it is her duty to fulfill everybody's preconceived notions of what her role is in society. The other narrating voice is that of Paloma, a 12-year-old girl who is a genius and a resident of the building, who hates the hypocrisy she sees all around here, and who feels she has learned everything there is to know about life. So, she declares she will kill herself on her thirteenth birthday and set her parents' apartment on fire. She has planned it out logically, her reasons seem to have sense, and she is going to make certain nobody is hurt in the process. In the meantime, she will start two journals to see if there is anything she missed that would make continuing to live have some point or meaning or something else for her to learn.The best way I can explain the feel of this book is the film Amelie. It is quirky, funny, deeply serious, and yet it feels light and you cannot put it down or turn away from the work. The plot description makes it sound dark and depressing, but it really is filled with wonderful philosophy in a way that is approachable, with tons of wonderful nuggets and quotations about life and what it means to be human, and ultimately displays hope even with elements of great sadness and loneliness. I knew I loved Renee the moment she put Structuralism in its place and called it out for its nonsense! She also happens to love some of my other favorite things: Japanese culture (particularly the Tea Ceremony), good films, and Dutch still-lifes. So, I am probably pretty biased with this character since we have several interests in common, except Tolstoy, I am still dealing with War and Peace and I am none too sure I will ever finish it.I won't say too much more because I would not want to ruin it for others. But I will say read it, the book is quite worth your time! One of my favorite quotations from the work is: “What we know of the world is only the idea that our consciousness forms of it.”
—Raja
I read this book slooooooowly (partially because I had to regularly look up words -- it's been a while since I've felt so stretched while reading!) and it was a bittersweet, delightful experience. The characters were occasionally a little too cynical, but they grew by nurturing each other in such a refreshing way. I'm pretty sure this was my favorite book I read this year, although there are a fair number of days left, so that could change!
—mrspejera
