Love, Blame, and Corruption in The Shadow of the Wind
The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately about why we should cherish and pursue what we love, though the execution of this beautiful idea is not always clear.
This is not a review. See why. This article contains spoilers.
Context
In post-civil-war Spain, a bookseller takes his ten-year-old son, Daniel, to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, and tells him to choose a book that will be his to protect and share with others. Daniel chooses a novel by Julián Carax, and he loves it. Later, as a teenager, he learns that Carax’s life and death are shrouded in mystery and that someone has been trying to destroy Carax’s legacy by burning all the copies of his books ever printed. Daniel and his friend Fermín set about trying to discover everything they can about Carax and the destroyer of his life’s work, all while avoiding a corrupt police inspector who hates Fermín. To further complicate matters, Daniel falls in love with his childhood best friend’s already-engaged sister, and she gets pulled into the drama as well.
Key Ideas (Evaluation of ideas: good; execution: mixed)
Risking others’ anger or disapproval may be worth it for the person you love
Blaming the wrong thing for your problems can destroy your life
Fascism enables corruption
Risking others’ anger or disapproval may be worth it for the person you love
Though Daniel doesn’t know it initially, he and Carax have something in common: A love that others deem unacceptable. In his youth, Carax fell deeply in love with a young woman named Penelope, who was far above him in socioeconomic status. It was early-twentieth-century Europe, when class mattered to many people; her family would never have approved of him. Daniel falls in love with Beatriz, a beautiful, slightly enigmatic woman engaged to a soldier; her father and brother (Daniel’s best friend when they were children) approve of her engagement and don’t want anything to threaten it. But Bea is wasting away in the relationship, feeling that the world around her holds less wonder than it once did. Daniel helps her rediscover the beauty of their city and her love of life, but their affair remains secret.
Daniel struggles to accept the knowledge that, although Bea’s family will initially be angry to learn of the affair, he should insist on Bea’s right to live her life as she chooses. Further, he would regret it all his life if she married another due to his lack of courage. As Daniel must learn, sometimes there are initial consequences—even harsh ones—for honesty, but if we want to pursue our highest values, we need to be able to endure such short-term adversity to achieve long-term fulfillment. (Also, the fact that Bea’s and Penelope’s respective families have such influence over their romantic lives hinders both young women’s emotional wellbeing and independence; adults should be not only allowed but encouraged to make their own decisions.)
Blaming the wrong thing for your problems can destroy your life
The book-burning character wastes years on violence and destruction in the mistaken belief that Carax’s novels have ruined his life (he has no evidence for this belief). He threatens, extorts, steals, kills, and incinerates—initially targeting only the novels, but eventually getting revenge for other wrongs done to him or his loved ones as well. But the truth is that Carax’s novels were not a significant reason that he lost what he thought was his chance at an ideal life. Like Romeo and Juliet, he decided in his youth that happiness was lost to him and therefore he may as well give up—but rather than committing suicide like Shakespeare’s tragic couple, he decides to murder and destroy, condemning himself to a life of isolation and despair. There are two lessons in this character’s ruin: 1. Be careful to properly identify the cause of your suffering; 2. Destruction, though possibly cathartic at first, will not return you to happiness, and may in fact cause further suffering.
Fascism enables corruption
As Daniel and Fermín try to unravel the mystery of Carax’s life and who is trying to destroy his life’s work, they are haunted, threatened, and eventually actually harmed by a thuggish antagonist: Inspector Fumero. In his youth, Fumero was bullied and prone to respond to teasing or the frustration of his desires with violence. During the civil war in Spain, he became an assassin for hire and was generally feared for his ruthless efficiency and complete lack of conscience. When the fascist dictator Franco took over Spain following the war, Fumero found a place in his ranks and soon rose to prominence. Though his methods often contradict protocol and policy, those above him look the other way while those below him and victimized by him are too terrified to speak up. This novel is not primarily about Franco’s dictatorship or its tragic consequences, but they do provide a grim setting for the novel, and Fumero’s character demonstrates that when there is a lack of respect for individual rights, those who wish to trample on them have free rein to do so.
The Vibe
As the title hints, this book is a mystery-thriller. Danger lurks around dark corners and men hide their faces as they watch the protagonists through the rain. A decaying (though not actually haunted) mansion completes the spooky setting. The style is gritty—at times violent or vulgar, which is jarring and unpleasant to read—but I didn’t find the violence detracted from the main mystery.
Conclusion
The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately about why we should cherish and pursue what we love—whether romantic relationships or one’s life’s work—despite those who would stop us. It also illustrates what can happen if you don’t. These ideas are life-serving, but the execution is not as clear as it could have been, particularly in regards to the book-burning character’s reasoning for why he blames what he does for destroying his life never being made clear.
Additionally, I have a good memory for names and relationships, but the tangled web Zafón wove did leave me a tad lost at times. Still, if you enjoy a slightly scary mystery and don’t mind some grittiness along the way, you will likely enjoy this book.
Why does fiction affect us so deeply? Why is it so key to human culture? How can we get the most out of it? I’ll be presenting some thoughts on these questions in my talk “Fiction as Soul-Fuel: Why Stories Move Us” at LevelUp Orlando on July 18. Day passes are available, and you can save 20% by registering with the code fictionosophyLU25
This is actually one of my favorite books of all time. I think mostly because the setting draws me in and is almost like another character. Love your insights on the themes.