The Shadow of the Wind.

Update Book 26: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I wish that I had written my review for "The Shadow of the Wind" immediately after I finished it. Maybe then I could better articulate how much I enjoyed it. There isn't much I like more than a book written by an author that love books. It is obvious after reading this novel that Zafon is infatuated with the mystery and soul that is held within the pages. He understands that a book can have life and that only through the eyes of a reading can that life awaken.

This book is about Daniel a young boy in Barcelona who's father owns a small book shop. One early morning when Daniel is ten years old his father decides it is time for him to visit 'The Cemetery of Forgotten Books.' First time visitors are asked to choose a book and make sure that it never disappears. Instead of choosing a book, "The Shadow of the Wind" chooses Daniel. After becoming captivated by it, Daniel looks for other novels written by Julian Carax. Daniel finds that someone else is also searching for novels by Carax. Their quest is not for literary purposes, but for flammable reasons. Daniel soon finds that this enigma has found and burned almost every copy ever written by Carax. The journey that ensues is one of mystery and intrigue. About half-way through the main character, Daniel describes the story perfectly:

"Well, This is a story about books."

"About Books?"

"About accursed books, about a man who wrote them, about a character who broke out of the pages of a novel so that he could burn it, about a betrayal and lost friendship. It's a story of love, of hatred, and of the dreams that live in the shadow of the wind."

"The Shadow of the Wind" didn't only choose Daniel, it also selected me. Sometimes I find books just by picking them up absentmindedly at a book store other times I feel like they chose me--as if I was meant to read them. So is the case with "The Shadow of the Wind." Over a year ago I was just about to close up the coffeeshop when a man came in and order a sandwich. I asked him if he would like something to drink along with his ham and swiss. He said he was actually heading to a different coffeeshop where he was going to join members of a book club. I asked what book they were reading. He told me that it wasn't one he would recommend but if I gave him a slip of paper he would jot down a few of his recent favorites. On the list were three books. "The Shadow of the Wind" was the third. After looking each of them up I added them to my wishlist. Then about a month ago I was looking through the shelves in my Dad's office when I saw a worn copy of "The Shadow of the Wind." It seems the fates were all trying to hint that I should read this book!

What I enjoyed so much about this novel was the eloquence in which it was written. At times it was brilliantly poetic and insightful. Here are a two of my favorite passages:

"Julian once wrote that coincidences are the scars of fate. There are no coincidences, Daniel. We are puppets of our subconscious desires."

"Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day."