(Re-read) book review: The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1)

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 20^th 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 2^nd 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.