This is a moving, at times funny, novel that delights in the 'quiet victories' of the inconspicuous among us. Renee is a conceierge in an apartment building in Paris. The apartment are inhabited by bourgeois families and she watches them live lavish but vacuous lives. Renee is fat, cantankerous and addicted to TV, but she also unknown to anyone else, loves art, philosophy, music and Japanese culture. The novel also introduces us to Paloma who is a 12 year old genius, daughter of a boring parliamentarian. Paloma has decided to commit suicide on her 13th birthday. Both Paloma and Renee hide their true selves from the others in the building and they discover kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man comes to stay in the building. Ozu gains Paloma's trust and sees through Renee's time worn disguise to the secret that haunts her. A wonderful read - plenty to get talking about.