“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”

The Shadow of the Wind is an ode to literature. It is a gothic tale and coming-of-age story full of symbolism, mystery, humor, romance and shocking twists all wrapped up into one poetic book.

It is not a quick read and is meant to be read slowly, savoring each word. This dark tale had me laughing one minute and then scared sh*tless the next. It is full of quirky characters, my favorite being the unfiltered Fermin. Daniel helped to turn Fermin’s life around from living on the streets and gave him a job working in his fathers bookshop. Fermin becomes a great friend and accomplice in the investigation of Julian’s doomed life.

I was thrilled to find out that this is the first in a series and I’m eager to read on to book 2, however, I don’t know how any book is going to top this one. It quickly became one of my favorite books of all time and I highly recommend it.

5/5 stars

Summary:
Set after the Spanish Civil War in 1950’s Barcelona- Daniel Sempere, the son of a widowed book store owner is 10 when his father brings him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. He is drawn to the book, The Shadow of the Wind, written by Julian Carax which captures his imagination. After setting out to find other works by Carax, Daniel realizes he may have the last of Julian’s books because someone has been destroying everything written by the author. He launches a seemingly innocent investigation but over time comes to find that he has uncovered dark secrets, murders and stories of star-crossed love as his own life begins to parallel Julian’s.

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Publisher: Penguin Books