Book Review - The shadow of the wind

If a writer’s book is read by only one person, and it transforms the reader’s life, is he successful writer?

At the age of ten, Daniel is a loveable kid, just like most other ten year olds. He has lost his mother a few years back and lives with his loving father who constantly tries to make up for the Daniel’s mother.  Daniel has a great fascination for books, and aspires to become a writer some day. Daniel’s father runs a book shop and is a man of modest means.

Daniel gets his hand on a book named “The shadow of the wind” by an author called Julian Carax. This book enthrals Daniel and he sets out to find more about its author. The search that would eventually transform his life completely, and link him to so many individuals’ lives in a breathtaking way.

Julian Carax is little known name in Spain that had seen a terrible war during his lifetime. According to some account, Julian was dead, for some he had fled to Paris long back and lived an anonymous life there.  Daniel’s search leads him to many dark secrets of war time, and puts his life in risk as well. However gritty as he is, he continues to peel off the layers of mystery that surrounds Julian’s life.  

The novel presents some of the finest characters, Senor Sempere – Daniel’s father is portrayed as a fine gentleman who always stands by his son, even while his physical strength and capacities are on decline due to advancing age.  Fermin, an accomplice and friend of Daniel also comes across as a very interesting character; at one point he says “The man who used to live in these bones died Daniel, sometimes he comes back in nightmares.”    The character of Antony Fortuny, Julian’s father is also very well depicted. Beatrice’s character is a little too make-shift, I believe it could have played some more role in the novel.

The book is replete with some stunning observations and messages which cut through the boundaries of the plot and are relevant to all readers even in their personal lives, for example – the short message on war delivered through a character goes like this – “Nothing feeds forgetfulness better than war Daniel, we all remain silent and they try to convince us that what we have seen, what we have learnt about ourselves and about others is an illusion, a nightmare that will pass. Ware has no memory, and none has courage to understand until there are no voices left to tell what really happened. Until the moment comes when we no longer recognize them and they return with another face and another name, to devour everything that they left behind.”

Or the following, “An old man waited for me almost every thrursday and offered me pastries and coffee that he scarcely touched. He spent hours reminiscing about Julian’s childhood, how they worked in the shop. He would take me to Julian’s room which he kept as immaculate as museum, he took out old notebooks and photographs with enthusiasm without realizing that he had shown them to me just on the previous visit, that he had already told me all those stories  - he seemed to be reconstructing the past that never existed. Until one day when I went there and found the doctor going out, “How is the hatter?” I asked. Doctor looked at me strangely and asked “Are you a relative?”

It is a bulky book of 500 pages, for those who think thrillers have to be quick read and pointed this book is a good case study to support alternative argument.

Shadow of the Wind is thriller, historical fiction, occasional farce, existential mystery and a passionate love story – all at once.