The Shadow Of The Wind
By Carlos
Ruiz Zafón
Penguin 2001
A book that
is two stories, about a book, which becomes a never ending story about the
book, which serves as the catalyst for the mystery that is the spine of this
very good novel. Confused? Good, I was;
and having read it was very pleased I had found the book on my e-reader, the
first time I’ve used it properly. So, to the book...
Translated
from Spanish, I was first attracted by the idea that there would be a place
known as the ‘cemetery for forgotten books’. What a fantastic name for a book
shop – (Waterstones, take note!) So, having acquired a book based on one sentence,
off I went. And what a journey! I have been to post war Barcelona, I visited
the Spanish civil war, and I went back as far as the First World War times.
But, I hasten to add, it is nothing to do with war. It is a love story, a
mystery, and a darn good yarn.
As usual, I
won’t discuss the plot in detail, but it does involve Daniel discovering a book
that had been tucked away on a bookshelf. We are then taken on the journey of
the book, the history of the author, and the mystery that surrounds both, from
the point of view of the new owner. We flit between eras, families and
histories, but it is done in a seamless fashion, and it is quite easy to follow
the flow, and switching between the component parts of the plot is easy to do.
To my mind, the only down side is the very neat ending, we have been exposed to
dysfunctional, mysterious and various odd people over the course of the book,
it was a little disappointing that it all turned out in the way that Barbara
Cartland might have finished it. Until, that is, the very last bit, when the
never ending story concept comes to life.
The writing
is ink flowing in the most extraordinary way. The lyrical, flowing way that
scenes are portrayed, emotions explored and characters built is second to none.
Pictures flood off of the pages, the lights and darks, the personalities and
the landscapes all become vivid in the words; sentences that make you wish you
could write like that. It is pleasing that nothing appears to have been lost in
the translation from Spanish to English. In classic literature, it is like
Wilkie Collins meets Thomas Hardy.
I thoroughly
recommend this story, even if it some years old. The tale itself is timeless so
there are no contemporary issues. I wonder if the only issue might be finding a
copy, but if all searches to acquire a copy fail, you could also check out the ‘cemetery
of forgotten books’, but be very, very careful if you find a copy there...
Check out my other blog site dealing with books that were shortlisted on the Man Booker Prize at
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