Book Club: The Elegance of the hedgehog

I was hunting for psychology topic related novels when I made the decision to hit the 'buy' button-- The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery.

I've never really studied serious psychology before so I cannot be sure if it is of any relevance to psychology, but rest assured it has made a great deal of connection to philosophy.

The author shuffled through the confessions of the two main characters-- Renee (the intellectual concierge) and Paloma (the 12 year old genius). Both of the characters are so different in many terms and yet they are oddly similar. Renee is the concierge of the luxury apartment who adores and emerges herself in arts, philosophy, music and Japanese cultures; whilst Paloma is the daughter of a rich parliamentarian who is a genius that also adores similar intellectual knowledge but thinks that life is completely meaningless that she decides to commit suicide on her 13th birthday.

Both of them, however, tried to live in accordance to the stereotype image of their positions: a fat, lazy, ugly, TV addict concierge; and a mediocre student, and obedient daughter. They tried to hide their true selves, true fine qualities of them from the world that they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. It remained until the arrival of a wealthy Japanese who successfully gained Paloma's trust and discovered the reason behind Renee's disguise.

It was not all happily-ever-after sort of ending, I would wish that Renee got what she deserved, but I guess nothing is ever certain, just like life. But this novel is definitely a clever and admirable novel. The author was an explorer of applied philosophy, or in other words, philosophy as applied to everyday life, which is definitely a plus to know.

I am looking forward to discovering more philosophy books now! x)