Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Epicure's Lament

The Epicure's Lament
caffeinegirl avatar reviewed on + 114 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


Although We are set up to disapprove of Hugo, the main character, I would be surprised if any reader really disliked him. He is a self-described hermit who has little patience for other people, even his own family. But really he is charming, impish, subversive, and, most winningly, acutely aware of his own shortcomings. He knows himself, and he is comfortable with who he is and with his quiet life. The book's conflicts and tensions arise when other people in his family join him in his family home and bring their own dramas, chaos, methods, and expectations. But Hugo himself manages to maintain his dignity and his integrity.