Don’t believe them. Daniel, the book’s protagonist is a young boy in 1940s Barcelona, and his mother recently died. Unsurprisingly, Daniel loves books; his father runs a bookshop. But for once, he can’t find joy in his favourite stories.
His father tries to rouse the boy’s spirits by introducing him to a mysterious library called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books where lost, banned, and rare books eventually find a home. Here, Daniel discovers The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, the one book he was born to read.
The story so enthralls Daniel that he can’t wait to devour the rest of Carax’s works. But he can’t find any. The boy is stunned. Where did Carax go and what happened to the rest of his books? And so begins a journey to unravel the mystery behind Barcelona’s most elusive author.
The Shadow of the Wind is fascinating for several reasons. Carlos Ruiz Zafon (the author) died in 2020 (aged 55) from colon cancer. The Shadow of the Wind, published in 2001, was his most successful book, selling fifteen million copies and earning the author multiple awards.
Many reviews have praised the author for his beautiful words. They are not wrong. I have never been to Barcelona, and yet, I could practically taste Barcelona’s air while reading The Shadow of the Wind. I could see the shivering masses thronging the streets. I felt the smoke tickling my throat. The city’s history was practically bleeding through the pages.
Zafon’s mastery of language is second to none, and the translator (Lucia Graves) deserves equal praise for capturing the spirit of the author’s original Spanish words. Some blogs describe it as a book lover’s wet dream, and I can’t disagree. Daniel’s passion for the written word is almost overwhelming.
You can tell that Zafon holds books and storytellers in high regard. The books and storytellers he explores within The Shadow of the Wind are the tools through which adventures are sparked, romances are ignited, and hearts are healed. I can’t begrudge any book enthusiast for loving the heck out of this novel.
I should probably mention that I could not finish it. I gave up after reading roughly 60 percent of the book, and here’s why. The Shadow of the Wind has a strong start. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books felt like a doorway to a magical world. But within 40 pages, I could tell that Zafon’s novel was not fantasy, and that was fine.
Daniel was an engaging character; I was more than happy to follow the boy on his quest as he attempted to decipher Carax’s past and current whereabouts, but then everything went off the rails. I agree that Zafon’s writing is beautiful. However, he’s too verbose.
He tends to go on and on about aspects that don’t matter (to me). I don’t need four pages describing every house, street, and town Daniel visits. Also, why must we get chapter-long history lessons on every background character we meet?
Initially, Daniel’s arc took a backseat to the Carax mystery, which had my interest because I thought characters from Carax’s book were coming to life. But as I mentioned earlier, this is not that kind of novel.
The Carax mystery kept me engaged until it became so convoluted and drawn out that I got bored. By then, Daniel was older. The touching saga with his father, the fountain pen, and I could not get invested in the soap opera unfolding during his teenage years.
Eventually, I noticed that I was doing more skimming than actually reading, a clear sign that I had stopped enjoying the book. So, I dropped it. Some people have hailed The Shadow of the Wind as the best book they have ever read. However, while I recognize its merits, it did nothing for me.
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