“The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a book that I always recommend to people. Once I finished the last exquisite page of the novel I felt as though I knew the Barcelona of 1945, its streets and landmarks, its sorrows and hidden secrets, some of them sinister and others magnificent.
In many ways, the novel is a love letter to literature, designed to capture avid readers and remind them why they treasure books. The whole concept of an underground cemetery of obscure and lost titles is enough to interest anyone who smiles at the thought of visiting the library, and such is the case of the novel’s main character Daniel Sempere.
“The Shadow of the Wind” takes place after the Spanish Civil War and introduces the world through the eyes of a young boy who can’t remember his mother’s face. The themes of oblivion and memory are developed throughout the entire novel in such a masterful way that becomes unforgettable.
When Sempere enters the Cemetery of Forgotten books, a safe-haven for any piece of literature that needs it, he is allowed to claim any book amongst a collection of thousands, but must promise to protect the book for the rest of his life. Sempere chooses a book titled “The Shadow of the Wind” by Julian Carax. The enigmatic author disappeared from Barcelona and left no trace of his whereabouts or plans, but his name prevails in the dark alleys of the city, whispered by enemies and collectors, old lovers and forgotten friends. As Sempere is captivated by the novel, he feels the need to learn more about Carax, but this search becomes challenging when he learns there is someone burning every single copy of Carax’s books ever printed. Sempere ventures into a web of stories from the past that give him more questions than answers, especially when all the evidence he collects suggests an uncanny parallel between his life and Carax’s.
I can’t think of many writers as accomplished in their prose as Carlos Ruiz Zafón. His mastery over language and imagery creates fuel for the reader’s imagination, but also demands critical thought, because his phrases are the small treasures that give this story its unique glimmer, and must be savored slowly.
Even for those readers who’ve never encountered historical fiction or a gothic novel, “The Shadow of the Wind” will feel like a warm hug, and the city of Barcelona will become a second home. The best part is that Sempere and his friends have more adventures over the course of three subsequent novels, one prequel, and a posthumous anthology set in the magnificent world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.
Here’s a brief selection of my favorite quotes:
“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”
― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, “The Shadow of the Wind”
“Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it’s an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.”
― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, “The Shadow of the Wind”
