Hedgehog's prickly delight

Once again, I'm pushing the boundaries of "happy" choices with this suggestion, but my book club all enjoyed The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.  There is loss in this story to be sure, but the theme is that art, friendship, and French pastries make it all worthwhile.  You will need both a dictionary and kleenex to finish this translation of a French bestseller.

Hedgehog tells two stories.  Paloma is an intelligent, wealthy, and depressed twelve year considering suicide.  Renee is the reclusive landlady in Paloma's Parisian apartment.  Renee pretends to be stupid, but secretly spends her days consuming art, literature, philosophy and music.  The story alternates between the two interesting characters as they ponder the meaning of their lives and become friends. 

Calgary Public Libary has an excellent audio version of the story with two fine actresses reading the alternating parts.  Using the Overdrive service, you can download the story onto your iPod.  My house was never cleaner than when I tidied while listening- I didn't want to stop!