The Elegance of the Hedgehog

I recently joined a small book club, which had picked this bestselling French novel to discuss, but unfortunately none of the others really liked it. I liked it in parts though. The novel doesn’t seem too easy at first because it reads a bit more like a series of philosophical essays by two narrators who swap chapters throughout the book than a real story.

First, there’s Renee, a 54-year-old, short, ugly plump widow, who works as a concierge at a luxury apartment building, where the residents are all rich. For 27 years, she’s promoted herself as a lazy, low-level, uneducated servant to her employers, while in reality behind the scenes, she’s a cultured autodidact who immerses herself in the world of art, philosophy, music and Japanese culture. As for the novel’s title, Renee is said to resemble a hedgehog, covered in quills on the outside, but with the same simple refinement on the inside as the hedgehog.

Then, there’s Paloma, the 12-year-old little genius who lives in the building with her family and wants to end her life before her 13th birthday so that she doesn’t end up like the rest of society in life’s “goldfish bowl.” She too is an intellect, like Renee, who disdains the vacuous, rich folks in the building, and adores the beauty in music, nature and Japanese culture.

Renee and Paloma are two peas in a pod, outcasts by their own accord who meet and become friends in the second half of the book, thanks in part to a wealthy Japanese man (Ozu), who moves into their building. This is where the novel begins to pick up and move a bit beyond a walking philosophical exercise. Ozu comes to save both Renee and Paloma, earning their trust and seeing through their fronts in a heartwarming, though tragic last section. I found Paloma’s passages particularly amusing, and the book’s heart and messages on finding happiness in small things, worth the work of plowing through the dense or redundant parts.

Apparently, “The Hedgehog” is now a movie, and came to the U.S. in August (in French with subtitles), though I haven’t seen it playing anywhere. Keep your eyes peeled if you’re curious about this adaptation.