The Elegance of the Hedgehog emerges as both characters narrate, in journal-entry style. Like Paloma, Renee keeps her head down, making sure no one knows her true nature, and tries to appear as “typical” as possible so as not to stand out. But she’s also incredibly intelligent and self-taught, reading great literature and philosophy, watching artsy Japanese films, and otherwise soaking up culture like a sponge.
Renee comes from extremely humble circumstances, as is expected for any concierge, who essentially barely should be seen or heard, serving a basic but mute purpose. In the meantime, since she’s incredibly intelligent but doesn’t want to stand out, she tries to “dumb down” her performance at school. Plus, more importantly, that way she can teach a lesson to the ludicrous people in her life, namely her parents and older sister, Colombe. She has come to the conclusion that life has one inevitable course -”People aim for the stars, and they end up like goldfish in a bowl” - and since she’s already figured out that life is absurd and has no meaning, she is best served by ending it all before she gets to adulthood. Paloma, the young girl, has every advantage in the world but wants to end it all by her thirteenth birthday. Because why in the world would the rich inhabitants need to know the concierge’s first name? The other is the concierge, 50-something Renee, or Madame Michel as she’s known to everyone. One is a 12-year-old girl whose family lives in one of the 4,000-square-foot apartments. In a posh apartment building in Paris live two brilliant and somewhat cynical narrators.
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