I so wanted to love this book, but alas I was left exhausted by page after page of intrigue and misdirection, undone by dense passages describing streets, buildings, and sub-plot upon sup-plot. While there is a colorful cast of characters, make no mistake that Zafόn’s protracted plot is the star feature of The Shadow of the Wind. That is not to say this is a bad book, because it isn’t; in places it is wonderfully charming and whimsical. Zafόn has a delightful humor that comes out in some great passages on the human condition, delivered by the book’s most memorable character – Fermin Romero De Torres.
If you are a fan of Dickens and other 19th century writers of his ilk, then I would imagine this is the book for you. I’m not a fan of Victorian novels which I find too heavy on plot that’s driven by external forces rather than by the choices and behaviors of the characters. I do love a good gothic mystery however, and am a huge fan of Jane Eyre, but the mysteries embedded in The Shadow of the Wind take too long to fully unfold, and by the time they do two things have probably happened: 1) you’ve likely guessed everything way before now (I did and not because I’m good at that) and 2) you’re so exhausted by the entire journey that you just don’t care all that much anymore. By the end, I was crying “Uncle” and couldn’t take one more “twist”. For me, the pay-off isn't worth the time and effort I put in.
My other disappointment is that “The Cemetery of Lost Books” plays such a small part in this 500 page novel. I was charmed by the idea of such a thing, so much so it’s what drew me to the book in the first place.