Two
years ago I discovered a treasure called The Shadow of the Wind,
it is a novel written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, an author from Spain
whose talents extend into music compositions. The Shadow of the
Wind was the first book in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books
series, it is a gothic thriller set in the mid 20th
century Barcelona. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books became my
close companion for many wintry nights, and I was spellbound by its mysteries which haunted the gothic buildings under the ashen sky.
Three installments from the series were available at the time; The
Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, and The Prisoner of
Heaven. I devoured all three novels in a month. I loved them.
However
the series was incomplete. At the time, the English translation for
the fourth and the final volume was still in the works. Therefore I
was forced into an agonizing wait until recently, when the English
translation for the final book is finally available. While I was
waiting for the trusty bookseller to ship the fourth novel to my home, I
decided to revisit the series, beginning from the very first book.
This is my first time re-reading a book, and having read The
Shadow of the Wind, my favorite book, for the second time, I can
testify that re-reading your favorite book is like visiting an old
friend.
Synopsis:
The
story took place in Barcelona and the year was 1945. The city was
recovering from the bleeding wounds of the Spanish Civil War. It was
a misty morning, and on the street a father and a son walked hand in
hand. The father, an antiquarian book dealer, was taking his son,
Daniel, to a secret place known as The Cemetery of Forgotten Books.
Young Daniel mourned the loss of his mother, but among the sea of
forgotten books he found solace – a mysterious book titled The
Shadow of the Wind, written by a
little-known author, Julián Carax.
Daniel
became fascinated with Julián.
He searched for more of Julián's works,
only to discover that a shadowy individual had set himself on a quest to
destroying every book written by Julián.
As a result, the book in Daniel's possession was one of the last
surviving books penned by Julián Carax.
Who
was hiding in the shadow and destroying Julián's books? And why?
Daniel's search for the books of his favorite author might awaken
Barcelona's dark secret.
My
thoughts on the book:
My
2nd visit to The Shadow of the Wind made me realize
the joys of re-reading a book. This time, I was in no hurry to
discover the plot, and so I made new discoveries about this beloved
novel. Furthermore, I could better envision the book's world and its
characters, and I noticed some humors and quirks which escaped me
previously. This time I greeted the characters as if they are my old
friends, and together we treaded the labyrinthine streets of Barcelona
to relive this story of love, of hatred, and of the dreams that live
in the shadow of the wind.
Zafon
wrote beautifully, and in this re-read I came to appreciate his
writings even more. Although it has been 2 years since I read the
book, but I still have memories about the major plot twists and
reveals, and this allowed me to view the story's structure from a
high level. I came to appreciate the intricate and the seamless way in
which the multiple story threads were put together. In my spare time
I engage in a number of hobbies, but I forgot about my other hobbies
when I was reading The Shadow of the Wind. Just like the last
time, this book hooked me in the moment I read its opening paragraph.
Who needs a TV when you can read a book as good as this?
I let out a sigh of content when I closed the last page of the book. I was eager
to re-read the next installment, The Angel's Game, but I also
decided to myself that not only will I start to re-read more books,
but this is also not my last visit to The Shadow of the Wind.
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