The first book in the series of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books written by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a spectacular novel and a fantastic presentation of the author’s writing abilities that takes the reader on another exploration journey of people’s secrets and the city’s mystery. Julian Carax’s history, continued and expanded by his past lovers, friends, family, and even strangers, will discover and reveal his past that contains dark secrets, and mysteries.
Barcelona 1945. The city is just starting to heal its wounds after the Spanish Civil War and World War II, which has deeply affected the city and the people living in it. So many people died, and there’s even more to discover. Their families are mourning, and grieving the dead, while also trying to get used to a new reality – peace. One of those people is Daniel, a small boy and an antiquarian book dealer’s son, who just lost his dear mother. The little boy that Daniel is has a fear of forgetting his mom’s face, but his dad is always with him and will remember it for them both. His and his dad’s grief has had multiple faces, but they’ve decided that it is time to move on. They find their peace and solace in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books and find a mysterious book The Shadow of The Wind, but they have no idea how the seemingly small piece of literature influences their future. Daniel immediately falls in love with the author- Julian Carax, and tries to find more of his artwork. That leads to a shocking discovery, that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book that Carax has ever written, and Daniel may have the last copy ever existing. Soon Daniel takes action to solve the mystery, but he makes a few excellent and precise steps, which will draw him into a world full of secrets, mysteries, illness, and even death. His life will be threatened, and some people will try to make his life harder or even come to an end, but he won’t give up on diving into the deep waters. The truth has the biggest value to him, sometimes even bigger than his life.
This masterpiece was honestly one of the best books I have ever read. Not only the story is interesting and keeps you heavily entertained, but it also is amazingly written. The diction is breathtaking, and the characterization helps the reader understand the problems and the complexity of the characters. The people portrayed in the story are full of their thoughts, dreams, and ambitions, and it is obvious that they are human, just like us. It is very easy to imagine Daniel or other characters standing in front of you and see how their adventures unravel. Personally, this book was a huge surprise, I was not expecting it to be that good or that I would get so invested. It left me thinking about it day and night long after I finished it. I would seriously recommend this piece of literature to everyone who is even the slightest bit interested in literature. If you liked “The Book Thief” or “One Hundred Years of Solitude” it is a perfect fit for you.
