Wow. What a novel this was by author Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Before I forget, let me give a shot out to my co-worker Jennifer for letting me borrow her copy of the novel. I haven’t read a good story since The Da Vinci Code and, in my opinion, The Shadow of the Wind blew that b-level drama out of the water. For some history on this book – The Shadow of the Wind was released in Spanish in 2001 and translated to English in 2004. It is a worldwide bestseller and there is a prequel planned for English release next spring.
The story is set in a post-war Barcelona and follows Daniel as he tries to uncover the mystery that is author Julián Carax. Daniel’s interest in Carax is sparked by the knowledge that nearly all of Carax’s novels have been destroyed and that Daniel may have the last copy of “The Shadow of the Wind” – a novel written by Carax himself. Once knowledge of Daniel’s possession of this book is spread, he receives an offer from famed book collector (Barceló) and even runs into a deathly looking figure suggesting that he wanted the novel. You can read more about that in the novel itself…
From this point, the story is about Daniel’s desire to find out all that he can about Julián Carax and his life – hoping to determine why this man’s books have all disappeared. We are also launched into Daniel’s burgeoning self-realization that as a young adult, certain hormones are going crazy. However, in that uniquely Spanish way, Daniel seems to completely fall for one love interest (the blind Clara Barceló) before going head over heels for another one. In truth, I felt a bit bad for Clara at the end of the novel, though most would probably feel bad for her from the start.
What I liked about this novel was that Zafón was able to blend two stories into one. And he didn’t just blend two stories together, he intimately intertwined them so that by the end of the novel the reader is left thinking that one could not exist without the other. Really, it’s a brilliant work of literary art and I was very impressed with Zafón’s ability to do this seamlessly.
Included in this story are a variety of secondary characters that all seem to be as intriguing as the title characters. For example, the loquacious Fermín Romero de Torres could have an entire novel dedicated to his life and times. The Shadow of the Wind was 486 pages long, but I imagine a Fermín Romero de Torres novel being at least twice that size. One of the best characteristics of de Torres is his colorful speech. Zafón truly added to this book by creating such a person to augment Daniel’s youth and inexperience.
There are also characters like Nuria Monfort – a secretary at the publishing house where Carax’s books are published – who are steeped in such mystery that the reader wants to know as much about them as possible. This is also true for Inspector Fumero who was once a schoolyard friend of Carax and winds up being a murdering, disgusting human being. There are probably another three or four novels waiting to be written that deal with this particular cast of characters (including Daniel’s parents).
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good summer read. It’s not the shortest book in the world, but once you get into the story the pages fly by quicker than you would expect. Give it a shot – I think you’ll enjoy it.
Is this book part of the “The Breaking of the Wind” series?
Dope