A Book Review: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1)

“Books are mirrors; you only see in them what you already have inside you”

     

         - Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind

What was the first book that found its way into your heart?

Many many years ago, a younger me read a fantasy trilogy, about a dark elf named Drizzt Do'Urden. Like staring into a mirror, I saw myself in Drizzt, his was a story about finding an identity among racial discriminations and self doubts. After reading Drizzt's tale, my heart became so full but I could not describe it in words. The Dark Elf trilogy found its way into my heart and it made me a reader. Over the years, my literary tastes have expanded and evolved, but Drizzt remains an old friend who still occupies a special place in my heart. It is some kind of magic.

Last week, I felt this magic again when I read The Shadow of the Wind. This mystery novel, written by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafón, told a story of love, hatred, and the lost dreams. It is a beautiful book and it left a deep mark on me.

Synopsis:

The story took place in Barcelona and the year was 1945. The city was mending from the wounds it suffered in the Spanish Civil War. On a misty street, a father and a son walked hand in hand. The father, an antiquarian book dealer, was taking his son, Daniel, to a secretive place known as The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Young Daniel was mourning the loss of his mother, but in the sea of forgotten books he would find his 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 someone was destroying every copy of books written by Julián. Meanwhile, the book in Daniel's possession might just be the last surviving work written by Julián Carax.

Who was hiding in the shadow and destroying Julián's books? And why? Soon, a boy's search for the books of his favorite author would awaken, Barcelona's dark secret.

My thoughts about this book:

Is Gothic novel dead? The Shadow of the Wind will prove to you, the Gothic enterprise of the 19^th century is still alive and kicking. This book is wild, it is dark, and it is about the art of reading. Within its pages you will find a story within a story, of tragic love and gruesome murders, and it took place in a noirish depiction of the mid 20^th century Barcelona.

“A doomed romance and murders in the shadows? Isn't this a bit over the top?”

Perhaps so, but under Zafón's beautiful prose and elaborate plotting, this book turned into an unputdownable masterpiece. The moment I opened the book, the time disappeared. The black inks on the white pages, they transported me to a different world. Over the course of the next 500 pages I met characters who became my friends. I came to know and care for them. I shared their loves, hopes, and griefs. Their losses became my losses, and their joys cheered my heart. At the end of the book, I sighed and pondered at the things that could have been, but would never be, or still to be – the dreams that live in the shadow of the wind.

I highly recommend The Shadow of the Wind. If a book has yet to find its way into your heart, then this book could be the one.