Set in a luxury Parisian apartment building, the story follows Renée Michel, a fifty-four-year-old concierge who hides her deep knowledge of Kant, Tolstoy, and art behind a facade of working-class dullness. Simultaneously, Paloma Josse, a gifted twelve-year-old resident, plans to end her life on her thirteenth birthday to avoid the perceived emptiness of adulthood. Their isolated intellectual lives intersect when Kakuro Ozu, a cultured Japanese businessman, moves in and identifies their hidden brilliance. The narrative shifts between Renée’s philosophical musings and Paloma’s private journals as they navigate social class barriers.
Readers seeking a blend of literary fiction and continental philosophy will find value in this character study. It attracts those interested in the tension between social performance and private identity, as well as the aesthetics of everyday life. The reader gains a perspective on how art and connection provide an alternative to cynicism. It offers a specific look at the solitude of the autodidact and the possibility of being understood by others despite rigid class structures.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2006
- Language
- EN
