Published 2004 / Length 504 pages
A self-consciously literary thriller, translated from the original Spanish, The Shadow of the Wind paints a convincing picture of Barcelona during Franco’s rule, riddled with paranoia and suspicion. It tells the story of Daniel Sempere, a young man who finds a copy of The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax while exploring a mysterious library at the heart of the city. Daniel spends the following years trying to track down the enigmatic Carax and uncover the truth behind his disappearance, while his own love life gradually begins to mirror Carax’s doomed romance. An aggressive member of Franco’s secret police and an inscrutable stranger in a black leather mask also take an interest in Carax’s story, and before Daniel knows it he becomes involved in political intrigue as he draws closer to the truth. Flashbacks slowly illuminate the tragic history behind the author of The Shadow of the Wind, before both the reader and Daniel Sempere are propelled towards the thrilling climax, and some surprising revelations.
‘A charming love story, but with an original element – I couldn’t help being pulled into the characters’ world of intrigue and tragedy in post-Civil War Barcelona. I was even inspired to go to some of the sites from the book on a visit to the city, just to prolong the memories. Well worth a read.’ – HANNAH, 32
• There are many parallels between the lives of Daniel Sempere and Julián Carax scattered throughout the book. What effect do these have? At what point do their lives diverge, and how is this divergence achieved?
• The Shadow of the Wind is both the title of this novel, and the title of the novel within it. What is ‘the shadow of the wind’?
• There are various portrayals of evil in the book, some absolute, some dependent on circumstance. What do you think Zafón is trying to say about the nature of evil?
• The Shadow of the Wind is the first in a series of four novels that Zafón has planned, all set in Barcelona.
• After Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote, The Shadow of the Wind is the most popular Spanish novel ever. To date, it has sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
• The book was selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club in 2005.
• The Name of the Rose by UMBERTO ECO – another literary thriller based around a fictional book.
• Winter in Madrid by C. J. SANSOM – a different perspective on the Spanish Civil War.
• The Count of Monte Cristo by ALEXANDRE DUMAS – features political prisoners, vengeance and hidden identities.
• Oracle Night by PAUL AUSTER – books within books; fiction engaging with reality.