The Shadow of the Wind, book review. (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)

When Daniel Sempere is ten years old and taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten books by his father and comes away with a copy of, The Shadow of the Wind, by Julian Carax, he is overwhelmed by its brilliance and vows to track down and read all of the authors’ books.

However, the author seems to have disappeared, along with the vast majority of his works, and so, some years later, with what could be the only Carax book left, Daniel begins to investigate.

With the assistance of his beggar friend, de Torres, and with the rather unscrupulous, Inspector Fumero shadowing their every move, Daniel starts to uncover the truth, the story of a young Julian, son of a milliner, and Penelope, daughter of one of Barcelona's richest families, and how they fell in love.

Due to their backgrounds, they kept their relationship a secret, but with just days to go to their planned elopement to Paris (arranged and financed by Julian’s closest friend Miquel) their love affair is discovered, along with Penelope's pregnancy.

Penelope is imprisoned by her father and Julian - his life now in danger - is forced to make the journey alone.

Decades pass before Julian feels he can return, and on learning of Penelope's fate when he does, he starts to destroy all his books, and it is in the dark, foggy, rain-soaked streets of Barcelona, that Daniel too finds the truth and if he’s not careful and doesn’t act quickly, the same fate might well befall him and his beloved, Bea.

The Gothic beauty in which Barcelona is painted here is so enticing you feel the chill on your neck, the hairs prickle on your arm as you read. The characters ooze such depth and quality that I want to meet them, shake their hands, kiss, or run from them. I want to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books - just the once of course - walk through its many avenues, climb its many stairs, before finding my copy of, The Shadow of the Wind, and then I'd be its keeper, its custodian, share and protect it.

This book is so wonderfully written in such a superb setting that you feel the danger that Daniel, de Torres and any who cross Fumero (who is now a corrupt police chief) are in, seeping from the page, and of Julian, having lost his one true love, damaged beyond repair, you feel his pain with every breath.

This book is funny, too – de Torres speaks like a poet and acts like the fool but has a heart of gold. Scary - Fumero’s methods of torture are legendary and being a woman or a child is no protection. Mysterious – what happened to Penelope? Who is the burnt man who follows Daniel? Who has burnt all of Julian’s books? And superbly atmospheric.

Having just read this for a second time (the fourth book coming out prompting me to go back to the beginning) and enjoyed it just as much as the first, it has now cemented its place in my top ten favourites of all time.

Five big gold stars then and on to book two, The Angel's Game.