The Shadow of the WInd by Carlos Ruiz ZafonI bought the book from book vouchers awarded by my current company for hitting targets set for the team I was involved in. I had a thing for the cover, to tell you the truth and it was just about the reason that made me trade the voucher for it without a second thought. Who says you shouldn't judge a book by its cover?
It is the first time I find it torturous to read a book, but it wasn't because the book was horrible. In fact, it was... amazing.
The book was splendid, but I did not have the time to really sit down and devour the Shadow of the Wind in one sitting. And so, I scraped the minutes left at the bottom of the barrel (more precisely what little time I had after my daughter finally sleeps and before I had to) to run through the pages, sometimes 20 in one go, sometimes 5. It was the first time I understood what unputdownable felt like - doesn't mean I could stomach it though, mind you - but the storyline, it was spell-binding.
I seriously could not detach myself from the pages. I had to know what happens next - the book has that effect on you. The writing is beautiful, smooth and intelligent. Yes, I would use intelligent writing to describe the Shadow of the Wind, seriously. It makes you go, wow, if only I could write like that. And I have this habit of always guessing what the ending would be like. I had some hits, and some misses; but you know how it is that when you find an ending predictable, you just hate that you guessed it and ruined the story for yourself? Didn't happen for this book. It keeps you on your toes. The moment you find out the answer to one riddle, the next one is already pulling you along.
You can easily find the synopsis on the blurb or anywhere else online. You will see a pattern in all those synopses. No one is willing to divulge more than what is necessary and that is, the introduction alone. One, they don't want to ruin it for you and two, it is just not explainable in a single article. In short, you have to read the book.
And it would be a really fun experience.
In my own words...
Daniel Sempere, a boy of preteen wisdom is led to the Cemetery of Forgotten books by his father who tells him that he gets to choose any book that he wants from this library for of lost literature, and keep it. Daniel does and he brings home The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. After reading the story, Daniel felt that he needed more books written by Julian (I know how that feels like, Daniel) and is surprised to find that a mysterious figure has been going around buying and burning books written by Carax.
We then follow Daniel through the years as he uncovers layers upon layers of Carax's life, the people that he leaves behind and what actually happened to Carax. Along the way, we meet friends and enemies of Daniel. Fermin is a favourite character of mine - you either hate him or love him, anyways - and Fumero seriously scares the daylight out of me. The way Carlos writes, you can't help but enter the lives of his characters. Yes, his ability to turn characters on print into real people is astonishing. By the end of chapters, you suddenly can see Penelope, Jorge, Miquel, Nuria and Jacinta and remember what they went through in their lives. You feel their pain, horror, trials and tribulations. You experience their lives through Carlos' writing.
There are so many characters in the story that you lose count, but you know who they each are. We explore the lives of these people, how they are entangled with each other through relationships that came about from other relationships etc. Relationships is a huge theme in this book, as is Love - the kind you lose and the kind you wish you had lived for. The plots in the storyline are worthy of movie scripts yet the literature involved is worthy of being categorized as classics.
Apparently, he has several more books written already. The one that has hit stores here in Malaysia is the Angel's Game a prequel to The Shadow of the Wind.
Can't wait to get it. Also looking for the Prince of Mist but it isn't available here yet. Will Carlos be the reason I will attempt Amazon before I am ready? Time always tells.