Started: 22/03/17
Finished: 30/03/17
Spoilers: No.
This book was given to me by a family member and, though I intended to read it, I didn't really have any expectations. I didn't have any clue what it was about or whether I'd even enjoy it, but she seemed to like it, so maybe I would too. It's a book about a book, after all. What's not to like about that concept?
Thankfully, this book completely shattered my expectations. Thriller/mystery/crime is not my go-to genre at all, but this book was unputdownable. Seriously, it was gripping stuff.
Setting
Barcelona, 1945 - 1966. You get a real noire feeling from the writing style and the depictions of the city. Every place visited is named and described and it's very clear a lot of effort's gone into bringing this setting. to life.
The Aldaya mansion especially receives at lot of detail, which only adds to its ominous, haunting feel.
Characters
So the character were all great, but I'd like to use this space to talk about just one. The standout character of this book for me.
Fermín Romero de Torres. What a fantastic character he turned out to be. During that brief first encounter with him on the steps, huddling in the rain was enough for me to decide that he was my favourite, and one I desperately hoped to see again. Luckily he re-entered the story and I fell in love with him over again.
He's funny, clever, witty, he speaks his mind and is opinionated, sarcastic and vulgar, but he's loyal and passionate and hardworking and appreciative. He suffers from nightmares and traumas and he felt every bit a human being and not just ink on pages. He felt real.
A genuinely well-written character that I genuinely cared about. What more could a reader ask for?
Plot
Daniel, as a boy, is taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books by his father and is told to pick out one book to 'adopt', to read, love and cherish. He's drawn to The Shadow of the Wind by Juliàn Carax. Engrossed in the story, Daniel decides he wants to read more of Carax's books, but discovers that someone is going around burning them all.
On his journey to discover the truth about Carax and learn about the author's tragic life and death, Daniel finds himself in the middle of mysteries, murders and terrible secrets best forgotten.
What I loved about this, was how gradually things were revealed without feeling slow or boring or giving away anything obvious too soon. It's a fairly hefty book with a lot of information, and yet all of it felt important. This to me is one of those rare books that really feels like every single word matters. Every bit of it is thought out and meant to be there. It's meticulous and intelligent.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón must have put so much thought into every page of this book, must have spent so long plotting out every detail. The events and clues in the book all seem random and disjointed until the last quarter of the book where everything connects into place and you have that 'Aha!' moment and realise that everything you've read makes complete sense.
And what a lovely ending this has.
Writing Style
I really loved Carlos Ruiz Zafón's writing style. It was everything it needed to be, when it needed to be. The suspense in certain chapters was almost more than I could bear, comedic timing was perfect, sad scenes were written with melancholy, and the sense of mystery remained throughout. The writing seemed to depict the feeling of each scene perfectly.
The dialogue is some of the best I've read. Believable and real. Not contrived like some books. These characters talk the way people talk and it's noticeable and refreshing.
Final Impression Honestly can't think of a bad thing to say about this book. It's actually opened my eyes a little to this genre. Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a skilled writer and I just realised this moment it is the first of six books! That's insane. I'll definitely be reading the next one.
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