Review: The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Lucia Graves (Translator)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Stories involving books have always interested me. I think I can chalk this up to having been a reader for a long time and finding the general idea of stories and books comforting. However, the rest of the premise has to grab me, too and the plot needs to be engaging beyond simply involving books.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind has a fascinating premise and an intriguing mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat! While there were some things about this story that didn’t work for me, I ultimately came away with more positive feelings than negative.
Before I divulge my thoughts any further, let’s look at what the story is about.
Summary
The story opens with a young boy named Daniel and his father visiting a local shop in Barcelona called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. While there, Daniel is encouraged to pick a story to take home. Daniel picks The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax and after reading it finds himself interested in learning more about the author and his other works.
However, as Daniel begins this search, he discovers that Julián Carax’s books are relatively unknown and hard to find in Barcelona. When Daniel meets a mysterious man going by the name of a character in Carax’s novel, he finds himself thrust into a race against time to learn what happened to the author, as the stranger aims to find and destroy every last copy of his work.
Thoughts
What I really like about the premise of this story is that the books discussed in the narrative are used as a basis for a mystery entrenched in danger, betrayal, and love. This made the story incredibly difficult to put down and I found myself heavily immersed in what was happening! The central mystery is absolutely captivating!
I also want to briefly mention the setting of this story. Concepts like the creepy mansion in town that might be haunted and the idea of the scent of burnt paper signaling danger add up to a captivating setting that I wanted to keep exploring! This creepy backdrop led to me being on my guard in certain scenes, convinced something was going to come out of nowhere and change the trajectory of the scene. I absolutely loved it!
Now that I’ve gotten those random thoughts off my chest, let’s talk about characters!
Characters
Daniel Sempere
There is a lot about Daniel that I like. His fascination with the mystery surrounding Julián Carax was enthralling to watch! Seeing him go through all that he does to learn more about Laín Coubert and Inspector Fumero showed his courage in gripping ways. I love how good of a friend he is to Fermín as well. Daniel’s kindness toward him was heartwarming and showed his compassion for others.
I also love how Daniel is open about his fear in the narrative. He shows how he understands and respects the gravity of his circumstances. His interactions with Laín Coubert are great examples of this. Daniel is honest about his fear of this man to both the reader and other characters in the story, showing that he feels in over his head and needs help to get through the situation.
With all this on the table, I think that’s all I have on Daniel. Let’s move on to Inspector Fumero next.
Inspector Fumero
Fumero’s character surprised me in a lot of ways. I didn’t expect him to be as brutal as he was, to the point where he is possibly the most menacing character in this story. He possesses almost no positive or even sympathetic characteristics, and the more I learned about his personality, the worse it got. Seeing him use the façade of a regular detective to get away with the things he did, to the point where several people in Barcelona were afraid of him specifically, was absolutely horrifying!
The people he chooses to get involved with makes him even worse. He shows every hallmark characteristic of a corrupt individual. He instigates a lot of the violence in this story and seeing him act in this way with no remorse in sight made him a terrifying character that raised the stakes significantly.
Well, I’ve just covered one of the most chilling characters in this novel, so I think it’s time to move on from characters and talk about the structure.
Structure
I think this story runs the risk of confusing some readers with how complex it is. It took me a decent amount of time to fully understand how the narrative was built and – even once I did – I still felt confused at points by certain turns the story took. It is split into parts and blends the narrative concerning the past with what is occurring in the present, which leads to a rather convoluted path for the reader to follow.
I also feel this led to certain arcs being buried in all that happens. There were certain pieces of information that I found myself going back to look for once I had finished the story. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these details were often small and easy to overlook given the wide net the narrative casts. The structure felt like a large rabbit hole that took me quite a bit of time to fully explore.
Now that I’ve discussed the story’s building blocks, let’s talk about the writing.
Writing
The prose is one of the best parts of this story. The writing flows in such a way that creates a mysterious mood and tone. These two things work perfectly to keep the story engaging throughout! While the mood can be rather dark in places, there is also a beauty to some of the prose and this made me sit back for a second and just think about how it was written.
There is also a flair to the writing that aids the atmosphere of the setting. There are some Gothic elements in this story and the way they are presented is creepy, beautiful, and captivating! The word choice and detail illustrate Barcelona as a place full of mystery and danger, making it easy to get caught up in whatever Daniel is doing at the moment.
Well, I’ve covered everything I was looking to discuss. Let’s wrap this review up!
Conclusion
In the end, I really enjoyed this! While the main story got rather complicated, I found myself hooked on the subjects being handled within the narrative. This was a captivating read, and I found myself not wanting it to end! For this reason, I will be giving this story four stars.
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