"I still remember the day my father took me to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books for the first time."

Novel: The Shadow of the Wind
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Published: 2001, Penguin Books
Genre: Mystery



That is the first sentence of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow 0f the Wind. A first-time reader would read that opening line like any other ordinary opening line to a new novel they decide to pick up. They are unaware of the incredible journey that they are about to embark on: a whole 487 pages of lost books, mystery, murder, doomed love, and much more that must be kept hidden for the reader to find out all on their own.

The story follows a young man named Daniel Sempere in Barcelona, Spain, still recovering from the civil war. When he is 10 years old, his father brings him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a top-secret establishment hidden amongst the Barcelona streets where rare and lost books are given an everlasting home. Part of the routine when someone visits the Cemetery for the first time is being able to choose a book to keep as their own, to cherish and protect. Daniel chooses a novel called The Shadow of the Wind, written by a man named Julian Carax. "Perhaps the bewitching atmosphere of the place had got the better of me, but I felt sure that The Shadow of the Wind had been waiting for me there for years, probably since before I was born." Daniel goes home that afternoon and begins to read the book. Midnight passes, and he is unable to put the book down, knowing that he must finish it right then and there. He falls in love with it.

Daniel finds out that not many people are familiar with Carax, and he has trouble finding any of the author's other works. He learns of an eerie rumor that has circulated about Carax and his books: there is a man who goes by the name of Lain Cobert (a name Carax gives to the Devil in The Shadow of the Wind) who is responsible for the disappearance of Carax's novels. Supposedly, he travels to different places in search of Carax's books, in order to burn them. Daniel can't help but be intrigued by this mystery and begins to dig deeper and deeper into the past; only he doesn't realize what he is really getting involved in...

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So I feel pretty confident in saying that my prediction was true. After reading this novel for the second time, I really believe this one is my favorite. Anyone who thought the gothic novel died out, think again. There is nothing darker and sexier than The Shadow of the Wind. Zafon has created a tale that wraps itself around so that you cannot move. Thing is, you don't want to move. All you want to do is turn the page and find out what will happen next in Daniel's life.

There are a lot of sub-plots in the story, but never too many. They all end up being intricately connected to each other, and it's a real treat to witness how they rise to the surface and begin to take shape with one another.

The relationships between different characters play a very important part in the story. While you are learning about Carax's past, you are also witnessing Daniel's coming-of-age while he falls in love with a particular girl. Then you realize that Daniel and Carax's stories are strangely similar in a lot of ways. As I've stated, it just gets better and better.

Anyone who doubts the the level of sophistication that comes with writing a mystery novel, read Carlos Ruiz Zafon's novel, and come back to me in a week so I can shame you for ever doubting in the first place.


Oh yeah, and enjoy your stay in Barcelona. You'll discover many beautiful place along the way. Just be careful that you don't get too involved with certain somebodies.