Sometimes a book has such an interesting and intriguing title that one cannot help but want to read it. Such is the case with The Elegance of the Hedgehog, a novel by French author and philosophy teacher Muriel Barbery. The novel centers around the concierge who works in a fancy and upscale apartment building on the prestigious Rue de Grenelle, one of the most elegant streets in Paris. Renee Michel is an intelligent woman who has worked in the building for twenty seven years; she hides her intellect successfully until a little girl, who is smart beyond her years, but emotionally troubled, uncovers it.
On one level a book about a quiet and philosophical woman and the bond she develops with an upper-class child, the book is also an incredible journey through the worlds of art, literature, music and cinema. It is similar to Josteein Gaarder's best-selling novel, Sophie's World, in that it seems to be a book about one thing when it is really about another entirely. One of the key themes is class, which is best illustrated by the different societal positions of the intelligent but working class concierge and Paloma, the little girl who lives in the building with her upper class family whom she knows to be terrible snobs. The irony of their difference in class is highlighted by their similarity in intellect and erudition.
Both Renee and Paloma act as narrators in the book, but both narrate in entirely different ways. Renee tells her story as though she is reading from a story, whereas Paloma's narration is like a little girl's journal, with her questioning life in general, and her pre-pubescent philosophizing about her life.
Barbery rather liked the idea of busting through stereotypes in her writing of the novel - after all, most people wouldn't consider that the concierge of an apartment building would be fluent in the great philosophers of the previous centuries - but she wanted her characters to share her passions and to ignite an interest in them amongst her readers.
The book was a huge hit as soon as it was released in Barbery's native France and in its first hardcover publication sold over a million copies. It remained on French bestseller lists for a whopping two years. The novel was awarded the 2007 French Booksellers Prize, and the Brive-la-Gaillarde Readers' Prize. This is in large part due to the philosophical leaning of the book; philosophy is a mandatory subject in French schools and so a popular subject for recreational reading as well. The book was also adapted for the big screen in 2009.
