---

The Shadow of the Wind is a haunting tale full of turns and surprises; as the readers peel off the countless layers of the story, the sheer mastery of the author is revealed. 

---

Introduction

Going into this book a second time, I was filled with both anxiety and excitement. I was very much worried that the idea I have created about this book since my first read wouldn’t live up to a second time. As I didn’t remember a lot that happened, I wondered if my love towards this story was a fake exaggeration of the feeling I got two years ago. 

However, my worry was proven completely wrong. As I opened the first pages, I was once again reminded of the exact reason why this book is so special to me. Every word and syllable felt exactly how I imagined it, and with all of my favourite books, it truly encompassed me and made me feel as if I am at home. 

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is an author whose skills in writing and language can transcend translation. Every time I picked up this book and resumed reading, I would immediately be engrossed in his words, hanging onto every sentence that graced my eyes. I could pinpoint a random portion of the book right now and there is an almost certain possibility that the page would be filled with complex and quotable sentences. His prose is simply one of a kind. 

Plot

The plot of The Shadow of the Wind does not contain any actions that makes the story exciting or thrilling. Instead, it is a slowly unraveling mystery that you can’t help but feel swept in. The book starts off with our young protagonist, Daniel, visiting the Cemetery of Forgotten Books with his father. When his father tells him to pick up one book from the countess shelves of the cemetery, Daniel impulsively chooses The Shadow of the Wind, a lost story written by someone named Julian Carax. 

This book would become the first book Daniel falls in love with, and in his desperate pursuit to find more books by the same author, he would realize that Julian Carax disappeared from the face of the Earth. This leads him to a journey that takes up most of his teenage years, trying to solve the mystery of his disappearance. 

There is a certain bitterness and sadness that permeates this entire story. Barcelona, the setting of this book, was riddled with civil war and social turmoil in that time period. From start to finish, though it is not always explicitly mentioned, you can feel the state of society from the very pages. However, there is also healing from such darkness. Throughout this book, Daniel grows from a naive boy to a man, finding love, and learns to navigate the world with the help of his father. Despite the main plot being a mystery, there is something much more personal and intimate; it is also a tale of growth, love, and the very nature of humans. 

Final Thoughts 

If I had to use one word to describe The Shadow of the Wind, it would be gorgeous. The prose practically bleeds the sheer passion and love for literature of Carlos Ruiz Zafón, bringing this magical story into haunting life. You simply can’t help but feel the magnitude of greatness that oozes from this book, and I feel that this second read really cemented this book as one of my favorites of all time. 5/5