<spoiler> It is simply beautiful , the complex story , the plot , the narrative and the reveal .
The story begins with a boy , Daniel Sempere , who finds a rare book in the Cemetary of the Lost Books , called the Shadow of the Wind , written by Julian Carax. The author is long dead , but Daniel wants to find out more about the author and the other works he has written. There is a mysterious villain who is obsessed with finding out all of Carax’s books and burning them. Then begins the mystery about the author, and as and when Daniel finds out more , the bigger the story gets.
I found a parallel between the author’s life and Daniel’s. Both were poor and fell in love with a girl much above their station. Both loved literature and I loved the common theme of Victor Hugo binding them.
This is a tale of burning , intense love of Julian’s and love and friendship of Daniel’s. There is ample and understandable villainy , ruthlessness , and overall action. The prose is beautiful , in particular Fermin’s dialogues.
As the story gets more and more complex , the ending puts it together beautifully.The reveal in this book is artfully done, and is completely unexpected.
Such a satisfying read , one of my favorites this year , right along with Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
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