The Shadow of the wind

By Carlos Ruiz Zafron

This excellent translation of the Spanish novel is based in Barcelona in the 1940’s. A young Daniel is taken into the heart of the old city to the “cemetery of lost books”, which houses old, forgotten and obscure books long out of print. His father says he can choose any book from the labyrinth of bookshelves. Daniel chooses “the shadow of the wind” by Julian Carax.

Daniel becomes very interested in both the story and its author, he longs to discover what happened to Julian Carax. As he grows up he finds people are more than just a little interested in his book. One night whilst out in Barcelona Daniel is approached by a sinister man who reminds him of a character out of the book (a character who turns out to be the devil). The man is intent on tracking down every last copy of the book and destroying it.

Daniel becomes obsessed with finding the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax, and all the people whose lives he influenced.

The novel is full of intrigue and perfectly conjures up the backdrop of old Barcelona and its characterful inhabitants.