The Shadow of the Wind

I have been trying to come up with the perfect description or opening line for my review of this book, my tenth read of 2012, and I just can't do it justice.

This book swallowed me up. It enveloped me. I was so drawn into the story, I couldn't wait to find out how everything would come together in the end. Zafon's writing is phenomenal. This book made me wish I knew Spanish only so I could read the original writing-- but with as amazing as it is in English, the translator must have done a fantastic job, as well.

The story is set in post-Spanish Civil War Barcelona. A young man named Daniel is invited into the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, little knowing that a choice he makes there will alter the rest of his life and many others'. In Zafon's Barcelona, the Cemetery of Forgotten Books is a huge, ancient library, full of forgotten books lovingly preserved by a group of the city's booksellers and book lovers. Its very existence is a well-kept secret, and few are ever invited in. According to tradition, invitees are allowed to select one book to take home, and that they must protect for life. Daniel feels drawn to a volume by a man named Julian Carax called The Shadow of the Wind. After becoming completely engrossed in his reading of the novel, Daniel sets out to find Carax's other works, and discovers that they are very rare, indeed. In fact, a mysterious figure is hell bent on destroying by fire every last copy of every book Carax wrote.

Thus begins an adventure bigger than anything Daniel could imagine as he works to uncover the truth behind Carax, his books, and the person bent on their destruction. He will end up drawn into a web of lies and deceit, true friendship and loyalty, forbidden and unrequited love, anger, forgiveness, revenge, redemption, abuse, passion, murder, and mistaken identity, among other things. This book is a story within a story. Just when you think you have it figured out, it takes another crazy turn. At times, it could have easily crashed and burned, but Zafon is just that good.

Along the way, Daniel befriends a former intelligence officer turned beggar, Fermin Romero de Torres, who provides most of the humor in the book through his ridiculously funny dialog. I am not joking when I tell you he made me burst out laughing on multiple occasions. Aside from the insane story line and the incredible command of language exhibited by Zafon, de Torres is one of the best parts of the book. He is just hilarious.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon wrote this book (in Spanish) in 2001, and it was translated into English in 2004.  This is yet another book about books-- and I am quickly beginning to realize how much I love that plot choice. Something about it... when it's done well, it's so wonderful.

I give this book five stars. One of the highest compliments I can give a book is the desire to re-read it, and I definitely want to re-read this one, preferably my own copy next time. Be forewarned, there is some language, some violence, and some sex. Nothing gratuitous, nothing too graphic, nothing that turned me off of the book.

Since so many others have said it so much better than me, here's a smattering of what the critics have had to say about this book:

"If you thought the true gothic novel died with the nineteenth century, this will change your mind. [The Shadow of the Wind] is the real deal, a novel full of cheesy splendor and creaking trapdoors, a novel where even the subplots have subplots . . . This is one gorgeous read." -- Stephen King

"The Shadow of the Wind is a dazzling novel about the power that one book can exert over the right reader, a remarkable debut from a young Spanish writer . . . [It] is one of those lovely books, like A.S. Byatt's Possession, that celebrates the strong bond between reader and book, while showing us how elusive the truth of literature can be." -- The Times-Picayune

"Part detective story, part boy's adventure, part romance, fantasy, and gothic horror, the intricate plot is urged on by extravagant foreshadowing and nail-nibbling tension. This is rich, lavish storytelling..." -- Booklist

"The plot is labyrinthine, the characters and coincidences Dickensian, the whole echoing with literary flourishes and references. It's a bit like A.S. Byatt's Possession and Arturo Perez-Reverte's The Club Dumas, with touches of Jorge Luis Borges, Umberto Eco, Ross King, Charles Palliser, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Bibliophiles will feast on its riches." -- Orlando Sentinel

Entertainment Weekly described the book as "wondrous," noting that "[t]here are places in which the book might seem a little over-the-top (doomed love, gruesome murders) but for Zafon's masterful, meticulous plotting and extraordinary control over language."

Read it!