The Shadow of the Wind

by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

This is a story that revolves around books. Those who read them, those who write them, those who love and cherish what they can offer and those who seek to destroy their power.

It begins when Daniel, a ten year-old in 1945, is taken by his father to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a huge, secret library where people like Daniel’s father have been collecting books they save from being “consigned to oblivion” (6). Daniel’s father instructs him to choose a book, which will be his to keep and protect. Daniel chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax.

Daniel soon falls in love with the book (in a manner utterly familiar to me), but, while searching for his other works, soon learns that almost no one knows of Julián Carax. Those that do covert his books, for, despite being published recently, they are becoming increasingly difficult to find. On his 16th birthday, a man without a face threatens Daniel to hand over The Shadow of the Wind, claiming that he will do the only thing to be done with Carax’ works, destroy them. Daniel refuses, and this confrontation becomes a years-long exploration of Julián Carax’s life. But while Daniel is excavating the tomb of the past, others are still filling in its grave.

I’m making this book sound creepy, and in some ways it is, but it is not a horror story. It has many of the elements of a classic mystery; an outsider trying to figure out “what happened” from fragmented testimonies of people who are not always telling the truth. Answers only lead to more questions, and questions abound until the moment of the climax. But Daniel is no Poirot. He may be trying to untangle a web, but he often can’t see all the strings. There is no early-established set of characters which he can interview and speculate on until the Parlor Scene. Daniel often doesn’t know who he needs to speak to, or they won’t speak with him. And, for all the moments of drama, there is no Parlor Scene, in which he stands in a room and reveals everything. I get information as Daniel does, piecing together the puzzle as he does himself. Most importantly, Daniel’s journey is not merely the discovery of Carax’ past. Daniel faces danger and people who wish to harm him, but he also makes friends, falls in love, gets his heart broken, is betrayed, betrays others. In other words, its about Daniel growing up. And he faces all of the complex relationships that come with such an ordeal.

What really drives this story, and what sets it apart from others, is the characters. There’s heroes and sidekicks and villains and love interests, but none of them are one-dimensional tropes. They have their own emotions and motivations, their own lives, comprehensible to me, but not necessarily laid bare for all to see. Ruiz Zafón’s characterization is masterful, because this is how people really act. No one reveals themselves entirely to every person they meet, nor should they. Yet every person is just as complex as any other, and those emotions they keep to themselves still drive their actions.

This is also a book in which the setting is deeply important to the story. It takes place in Barcelona between 1945 and 1955 (though mostly in 1955, Daniel wasn’t running around Barcelona as a child). I am neither a historian nor political scientist, so I won’t be getting into close detail, but here are the broad strokes. Spain had a civil war between 1936 and 1938 between the left-wing Republicans and the right-wing Nationalists. It was won, however, by the the Nationalist, who had the support of Mussolini’s Italy and Nazi Germany. This victory established the authoritarian regime of Francisco Franco.

Victory Parade for Francisco Franco, León, 1939

This is the government under which Daniel, and all of the people in the story, live. While Daniel focuses on uncovering the identity and past of Julián Carax, the rest of Spain is dealing with the aftermath of a Civil War in which many political figures disappeared without a trace. As Daniel’s father explains, “Nothing is ever the same after the war. And yes, it’s true that a lot of people went into [Monjuïc Castle] who never came out” (37). Franco's government promotes tradition while concealing its past and current atrocities; Daniel works against people who thrive in this government, but want to hide their own pasts. The book begins six years after the war ends, but many people do not know what happened to their loved ones, and the fear of being taken and killed still reigns. Similarly, the tragedies of Julián Carax’s life still brings pain, and its mysteries still haunt the present.

The everyday fear of living under an authoritarian regime is also a factor in the book. Any opposition to the government is treated brutally, and this unchecked power threatens Daniel as he defies an official with a personal vendetta. Daniel’s journey, though limited in its scope, threads through the crises of his time. His search for the truth, and his love of books directly opposes a regime which relies on obscuring the truth and censoring the media to maintain its power. David, though on a personal journey, cannot escape the historical moment in which he lives.

As a warning to any potential readers, anti-Semitism and eugenic ideology abound at this time, and are sometimes mentioned or implied in the book. It certainly does not endorse these views, the only ones who hold them are the antagonists, but they are still present.

I recommend this book to people who want interesting characters, a sinister mystery, and have a voracious love of books.

---

Photo: "Condor Legion marching during the Spanish Civil War", United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Photograph #73468222, May 1939. Licensed under 17 U.S.C.§ 104A(a)(2)

My Copy: Ruiz Zafón, Carlos. The Shadow of the Wind. The Penguin Press, 2004. Get a Copy Here!