Two people, Two stories

 I am reading the book The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.  It's a book that was originally written in French.  It's beautifully written and has an incredibly interesting plot.  The main characters in the story are Paloma and Renee.  Paloma is a genius twelve year old.  She is growing up in a very rich family and really doesn't agree with their ideals most of the time.  Renee is the cranky old concierge that works in the building that Paloma lives in.  Even though they seem so different they actually are pretty similar in the end.

Paloma is an incredibly smart and interesting twelve year old.  Her family is very rich and prestigious.  She is planning on taking her life when she turns thirteen.  The reason she has decided to do this is because she really hates her family.  The thing is, she doesn't hate them, she almost feels sorry for them.  She believes the way they act is fake and hollow.  She understands why they act the way they do, but she doesn't comprehend why they believe in the things they do.  Her mother fills her emptiness by taking care of plants, her sister pretends to be worldly and intelligent, and her father throws dinner parties.  They are all so fake.  Paloma feels like the only real person she knows.  She has real interests and passions, for example she loves Japanese culture.  She hates the world she lives in.  Little does she know, someone real is right next door.

Renee is the  only other real person nearby.  On the outside Renee is a cranky old concierge.  When you dig a little deeper, you see a very interesting and intelligent person.  She is obsessed with incredibly advanced Russian novels and Japanese culture too, like Paloma.  She is sophisticated and smart, but because of these fake people's expectations, she is kept silent and seemingly dumb or stupid.  Because she works for these fake people, she hides her true personality so they are happy.  They are only when everyone decides to assimilate to their stereotypes.  She must hate getting turned off by these insignificant people.  I think it's so ridiculous that a real person be shut down like that.

I, like Paloma and Renee don't understand the fake culture that people practice everywhere.  The world they live in is filled to the brim with these kind of people. I would hate to have to deal with the artificiality everyday.