In brief: one early summer day in 1945, trying to distract his ten-year-old son from the loss of his mother, Daniel’s father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. There, Daniel finds the book that will intrigue him, bedevil him and ultimately shape his young life: The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. When, on his sixteenth birthday, Daniel sees a stranger smoking a cigarette from his balcony he instantly recognises a scene from Carax’s novel and the seeds of an obsession, first sown six years ago, take firm root.

In detail: Straddling a multitude of genres, from gothic mystery to romance to comedy, Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s novel combines many of the elements of the nineteenth-century novels to which he has paid tribute in his interviews. It is a book which glories in the joys of storytelling, with several narratives unfolding, spilling clues to the mystery of Julián Carax as Daniel slowly pieces together Carax’s story. Set in Barcelona, a city deeply wounded by the terrible divisions and cruelties of the Civil War, The Shadow of the Wind vividly evokes the dark days of Franco’s Spain with all its fear, repression and brutality.

When ten-year-old Daniel takes The Shadow of the Wind from the shelves of the labyrinthine Cemetery of Forgotten Books he sets out on a path that will lead him to his dearest and most loyal friend, to the love of his life, and to the very heart of the mystery he is determined to solve. His father takes him to meet Barceló, a book dealer who recognises both the rarity of Daniel’s chosen book and the passion with which Daniel defends his right to keep it. When a stranger, his face a horrifically charred mask, offers him an enormous sum of money for his prize, Daniel resists. He will later learn that the mysterious Laín Coubert (the name of Carax’s most evil character) is bent on the destruction of all Carax’s books.

Daniel’s determined investigations lead him to a new friend and ally, Fermín Romero de Torres, whose bête noire, the brutal Inspector Fumero, dogs their progress. Daniel uncovers a desperate tale of doomed, passionate love between the young Carax and Penélope Aldaya. As he begins to unravel the mystery, what was once a young boy’s obsession takes a dark turn as a woman is found murdered and Fermín comes under suspicion. Daniel’s life has become increasingly interlinked with Carax’s; Julián’s enemies are now his own and he must face the consequences.

About the author

Born in 1964, Carlos Ruiz Zafón grew up in Barcelona, attended its university and began a successful career in advertising. In his late twenties he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a screenwriter. Before the publication of The Shadow of the Wind in 2001, Zafón had already published four successful novels for young adults. He now works full time as a novelist, regularly contributing to El Paíis, El Mundo and La Vanguardia, and is currently at work on his second novel, set in nineteenth-century Barcelona, part of a planned set of four based in the city, of which The Shadow of the Wind is the first.

The novel’s translator, Lucia Graves, is the daughter of the poet Robert Graves.

For discussion

• Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s book shares the same name as his character Julián Carax’s novel. What is the significance of the title The Shadow of the Wind? To what does it refer?
• Who is the stranger who wants to burn Daniel’s copy of The Shadow of the Wind? At what point did you guess his identity and why?
• ‘Not evil,’ Fermín objected. ‘Moronic, which isn’t quite the same thing. Evil presupposes a moral decision, intention, and some forethought’ (page 158). Fermín determinedly distinguishes evil from thuggery when speaking of Don Federico’s beating during his night in prison. What instances of evil are there in the book and who are the perpetrators?
• ‘The man who used to live within these bones died, Daniel. Sometimes he comes back, in nightmares’ (page 335). What do we learn of Fermín’s past life? How would you describe him? How important is he to Daniel, and Daniel to him?
• The Shadow of the Wind begins just six years after the Civil War. What impression did you gain of Franco’s Spain from the book? How important is the novel’s setting? Why do you think Zafón chose to set it at this point in Spanish history?
• ‘This boy reminds me of myself,’ Julián tells Nuria (page 458). In what ways does Daniel’s life echo Julián’s? How do they differ?
• ‘Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you,’ Julián tells Jorge when he declares: ‘Books are boring.’ (page 215). To what extent does this idea explain Daniel’s fascination with The Shadow of the Wind? Do you agree with Julián?
• Humour plays an important part in the book. How would you describe that humour? Were there particular passages or characters that you found amusing?
• Zafón maintains an atmosphere of suspense throughout his novel, a suspense that becomes more intense in the last half. How does he do this?
• What did you think of the way the book ends?
• The Shadow of the Wind has been described as ‘thriller, historical fiction, occasional farce, existential mystery and passionate love story’. How would you describe it?

Suggested further reading

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Possession by A. S. Byatt
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Dumas Club by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
The Carpenter’s Pencil by Manuel Rivas