If you like “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson, you may like these titles -- some have intriguingly complex plots, while others offer portraits of unusual, unique females.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery
“Renée Michel, 54 and widowed, is the stolid concierge in an elegant Paris hôtel particulier. Though short, ugly, and plump, Renée has, as she says, always been poor, but she has a secret: she's a ferocious autodidact who's better versed in literature and the arts than any of the building's snobby residents. Meanwhile, supersmart 12-year-old Paloma Josse, who switches off narration with Renée, lives in the building with her wealthy, liberal family. Having grasped life's futility early on, Paloma plans to commit suicide on her 13th birthday. The arrival of a new tenant, Kakuro Ozu, who befriends both the young pessimist and the concierge alike, sets up their possible transformations. By turns very funny (particularly in Paloma's sections) and heartbreaking, Barbery never allows either of her dour narrators to get too cerebral or too sentimental. Her simple plot and sudden denouement add up to a great deal more than the sum of their parts.”—review from Publishers Weekly. © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
