Excerpts from The Elegance of the Hedgehog

What do I say here: please read The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. Just so. This novel is heartbreaking and beautiful and—dare I say it—perfect. I offer my sincerest thanks to Claire for having carried the book from San Francisco and to Syd for having lent it to Claire.

I will offer little context or description for better that you discover its depths on your own. May the following suffice: I wept in its conclusion. No matter your reply—“Drew, you cry at everything! Evidence: An American Tail”—Hedgehog is truly poignant.

From Paloma:

But if, in our world, there is any chance of becoming the person you haven't yet become … will I know how to seize that chance, turn my life into a garden that will be completely different from my forebears'?

From Renée:

This pause in time, within time … When did I first experience the exquisite sense of surrender that is possible only with another person? The peace of mind one experiences on one's own, one's certainty of self in the serenity of solitude, are nothing in comparison to the release and openness and fluency one shares with another, in close companionship …

Enjoy!