The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zapon

Val Penny ♦ June 18, 2013 ♦ 2 Comments

This is a masterpiece! My friend Leah gave me The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zapon.  She had just finished reading it and thought I would enjoy it, so she passed it on. Let me just say it was the best gift I’ve had in years. The Shadow of the Wind is one of my favourite novels. The author, Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a Spanish novelist. He was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1964 but has lived in Los Angeles, California,USA, since 1994.  He and works as a scriptwriter as well as writing novels.

The story is set in Barcelona, 1945.  The city is healing slowly after the Spanish Civil War.  Daniel Sempere is an antiquarian book dealer’s son.  The boy mourns the loss of his mother.  His father takes Daniel to the a secret labyrinth of forgotten books – the place where books are brought for their final rest after the world has forgotten their existence – and told by his father to pick one to always care for and protect.   The boy chooses and finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax.

When he sets out to find the author’s other works,  he makes a shocking discovery:  someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written.   In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence.  His life is changed forever by his fascination with the book,  its author and his determination to uncover the mystery surrounding the doomed fate of all other works by the author.  Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets: an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

From the very first line to the very end I loved this book, and as a reader I am not too easily pleased.  What fascinated me most as Daniel started to get entangled in the mysterious web of the book and its author’s history, was how Daniel’s life began to mirror that of Carax.  I love stories out of the ordinary that captivate my imagination and run away with it.  That is exactly what The Shadow of The Wind did.

The writing in this book is almost poetic yet it is simple to follow and most enjoyable.  There are subtle sub-plots that run alongside the major plot so the book is neither one dimensional nor boring.  Overall this is a fascinating read that is sure to take you on an imaginative adventure that will make you wish there were more pages to read after you turn the last page.  I highly recommend this book to all who are not afraid to explore other worlds nor to allow a book to engulf their senses completely. Read The Shadow of the Wind and enjoy!