Plot:
In 1945, Barcelona, Spain, Daniel Sampere’s father, a bookseller, allows him to choose one book from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. The father does this to comfort him after Daniel realizes he can no longer remember what his late mother looked like.
He chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Barcelona author Julián Carax, an exceedingly rare book. Not even Daniel’s father has heard of the author.
They consult a colleague of Mr. Sempere, Gustavo Barceló. He tells Daniel that very little is known about Carax. His books have become quite valuable because they are so hard to find. Mr. Barceló offers to buy the book, but Daniel declines. However, he develops a crush on Mr. Barceló’s niece, Clara, who is blind. Mr. Barceló invites him to come by and read the book to Clara, which he readily agrees to, despite Clara being several years older than he is.
Some years later, Daniel invites Clara to his sixteenth birthday party. She doesn’t come. Despondent, he wanders the streets and meets a stranger without a face. The stranger introduces himself as Lain Coubert, the name of a character in Carax’s book, and offers to buy The Shadow of the Wind from Daniel. The stranger is destroying all copies of the book. Daniel declines and races to the Barceló house, where the book is, afraid the stranger may hurt Clara. He discovers the reason why she didn’t come to his party and finds himself no longer in love with her.
He begins a search for Julián Carax, a twisting journey that brings in several other people. In the meantime, he falls in love, meets a mentor, uncovers secrets, and watches a friend with a political past run afoul of the police.
Thoughts:
Most commentators and reviewers refer to this book as a mystery, and it is that. Daniel wants to uncover what happened to the author Julián Carax. His search leads him to people who lie to him, to people who were abandoned, and to the deserted estate of the wealthy Aldaya family, where he discovers a tragedy related to Carax.
The story is engaging and sad, but where the book excels is in painting settings and mood. For example:
My throat was burning with cold when, panting after the run, I reached the building where the Aguilars lived. The snow was beginning to settle. I had the good fortune of finding Don Saturno Molledea stationed at the entrance. Don Saturno was the caretaker of the building and (from what Bea had told me) a secret surrealist poet. He had come out ot watch the spectacle of the snow, broom in hand, wrapped in at least three scarves and wearing commando boots.
“It’s God’s dandruff,” he said, marveling, offering the snow a preview of his unpublished verse.
The magical realism and Gothic elements are integral to the story and the characters rather than mere ornaments. The reader is invested in Daniel from the beginning. He can be careless and a jerk at times, but never is he malicious. When he falls in love with the wrong woman, the reader knows it will end painfully.
While the book is long and complicated because of the sheer number of characters, I found it enjoyable for its dreamlike atmosphere. I liked it.
Bio: Carlos Ruiz Zafón (1964-2020) was born in Spain and wrote some young adult fiction. He also wrote screenplays and worked for advertising agencies. He moved to Los Angeles in 1994. His The Shadow of the Wind brought him global fame. It was the first in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series.
Title: The Shadow of the Wind (original: La sombra del Viento)
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón (1964-2020)
First published: 2001, Spain
Translation: 2004, Lucia Graves
Length: novel
Series: Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 
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