Boo's Reviews| The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruis Zafón

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.
[Synopsis taken from Goodreads]

This is an absolute beast of a book! It reminds me of my beloved Book Thief but it took me a bit longer to get into. This is why I've only awarded it 4 stars on Goodreads.

It may be because I've been pretty tired with work but I just wasn't able to engage with the story at first. I was intrigued and was enjoying it but it just seemed like an effort to read the first few chapters. I think this is one of those books that you want read on holiday or when you have some downtime because you won't be able to give much of your attention to, say, sleeping or eating.

However, once you have the time to properly connect with it, this is one of those stories that reaches into your soul and seems to require your emotional investment. Once you are into the story, you won't be able to put it down. I was walking round like a ghost for about a week, living in 1940s Barcelona... and I still feel a little haunted a week after finishing it!

It is perhaps not the most light-hearted of books but I know that this is one of those stories that will stay with me and will always inspire me; it will form part of the fabric of my own imaginings until my brain becomes old and mushy. Yeah...I really liked it.