Sarah's Books

Fiction from a philosopher

Muriel Barbery ‘The Elegance of the Hedgehog’, Gallic Books 2008

‘The Elegance of the Hedgehog’ is a great read… but it has its ups and downs. It’s interesting… but a little frustrating. It follows the lives of two characters; a concierge in an upmarket Parisian apartment building whose intellect far outweighs her profession and a twelve year old girl who lives in the building intent on committing suicide on her thirteenth birthday. It’s got all the potential for a rattling great read. You really want to know why each character is committed to their position. You want to read about Paris. The references to philosophy, books and Japanese culture paint a magical portrait of the role of culture and beautiful ideas in our daily lives. It is definitely a character driven book which I love in fiction. The two lead characters are two of the most original characters I have met in a book in a long time and are superbly written. You understand completely why they each do what they do. This story promises (and delivers) a lot. However…there is an underlying current of dark notions about different classes in society which I found unnecessary and as a result frustrating as it detracts from the books other great strengths. All in all it’s a highly recommendable read. Muriel Barbery is a philosopher herself and this book shows philosophers are able to write intriguing fiction!

Haiku; Character driven, philosophical story, somewhat elegant

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