The Shadow of the Wind
– Carlos Ruiz Zafón
3 Stars
The novel is set in 1950s Barcelona while Spain is under
Franco’s dictatorship. Daniel Sempere,
the son of a bookseller, discovers a rare novel by Julian Carax, an obscure
author, when his father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Daniel slowly learns the story of the author,
uncovering bits and pieces from some of those who knew him.
One sinister figure is Lain Coubert, the devil in Carax’s
novel, who has been trying for years to destroy all traces of his books. Another arch-villain is Francisco Javier
Fumero, a sadist who is a chief inspector of the Barcelona Crime Squad and
childhood friend of Carax. Daniel’s sidekick,
friend, and mentor is Fermín Romero de Torres who was tortured by
Fumero.
The book is 500 pages of incest, murder, childhood
friendships and humiliations, mistaken identity, disappointed and discouraged
love, crumbling mansions, robbed crypts, and hatred and anger spanning
decades. Daniel’s situation bears
uncanny resemblances to that of the protagonist in Carax’s novel and Carax’s
life.
A major weakness is that there is little direct action and a
lot of exposition. Stories from various
characters, told in page after page of exposition, relate second- and
third-hand family histories with relevant information coming only after much
stage setting and ancestry delineating.
There is a definite tinge of melodrama such as is found in
Victorian novels: wealthy families
ruined by evil appetites, forbidden love between beautiful young people, and
vengeful patriarchs protecting the chastity of their daughters.
This novel spent 60 weeks on Spain’s best seller lists and
he has sold millions of copies worldwide, but I wouldn’t put it on my list of
favourites.
If you are interested, there’s a prequel to the book
entitled The Angel's Game and a
sequel titled The Prisoner of Heaven.
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