The Shadow of the Wind

It’s been described as a “love letter to literature” and I have to agree. Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind is a gorgeous book. Set in Barcelona during the years covering the Civil War and World War II, the story follows the life of a young boy, Daniel, who finds a book titled The Shadow of the Wind by author Julian Carax at the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Daniel soon finds himself engrossed. Attempting to track down other books by the author, Daniel learns that a shady figure going by the name of Lain Coubert, the Devil in The Shadow of the Wind, is tracking down books written by Carax and burning them.

Daniel sets out to discover more about the author and finds himself enmeshed in a story of love, betrayal, jealousy, intrigue and murder. The story unfolds carefully and events in Daniel’s own life appear to be mirroring those of Carax. There is no one word that fittingly describes Zafon’s novel. Part gothic thriller, part historical romance, part mystical intrigue. Zafon weaves an intricate and elaborate plot and holds his reader’s interest right up until the satisfying end. I love this book.