The Shadow of the Wind



The Shadow of the Wind is a 2001 best-selling mystery novel by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Set in Barcelona after the Spanish Civil War, the story follows Daniel, who, as a young boy, discovers a long-forgotten book in a secret library entitled The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. Daniel tries to seek out other books by the author, but can find nothing and no information on Carax himself. Then he hears stories of a strange man calling himself Lain Coubert, the name of the devil in Carax's book, who is seeking out and burning all copies of the mysterious author's novels.


 * Alliterative Name: Miquel Moliner.
 * Animal Motifs: Fumero is associated with insects: cold, calculating, heartless.
 * Awesome but Impractical: Tomás Aguilar devotes his time to building things like the "aerostatic dart." Daniel points this out.
 * Big Eater: Fermín, despite being described as underweight, has an incredible appetite.
 * Book Ends
 * Chekhov's Gun: The Montblanc Pen Daniel gets as a birthday present on his sixteenth birthday.
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: Fermín is covered in scars that are revealed to be the result of this.
 * Creepy Child: Inspector Fumero, naturally, who used to capture cats and pigeons and torture them for hours. Julián was a milder version.
 * Death by Childbirth:.
 * Despair Event Horizon:.
 * Disabled Love Interest: Clara, Gustavo Barcelo's blind niece, was the object of Daniel's teenaged affections.
 * Framing Device: A significant part of Julián and Miquel's story is told through Nuria's letter to Daniel (which was sent .)
 * Heroes Want Redheads: Daniel for.
 * Heroic Bastard:.
 * Heroic Sacrifice:  sacrifices himself for Julián by pretending to be him and shooting two police officers.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Miquel and Julián seemed to be this, although it's more apparent on Miquel's side.
 * Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Rociíto proves to be one at the end of the story.
 * If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Tomás delivers a something along this line to Daniel, when he starts seeing.
 * Inadequate Inheritor: Don Ricardo sees Jorge as this.
 * I Owe You My Life: Fermín will do anything he can for Daniel and his father as they have taken him in from the street and gave him a job, making him a respectable citizen again.
 * Jekyll and Hyde: A variant with  who, after his Despair Event Horizon, takes on the name of Laín Coubert,
 * Ladykiller in Love: Fermín to Bernarda.
 * Law of Inverse Fertility:.
 * The Lost Lenore: Penélope, for Julián.
 * Love Martyr: Nuria Monfort for  especially after his transformation into Laín Coubert. It doesn't work.
 * Made of Iron: Fermín, who, after being severely beaten by Inspector Fumero, recovers rapidly and immediately starts groping the nurse.
 * Also  who survives having all his skin burnt off.
 * Magical Realism
 * Meaningful Echo: "The day I die, all that was once mine will be yours..." "...except your dreams." Between
 * And again between Daniel and  at the end of the book, mirroring the very first chapter.
 * Mirror Monster: As a child, Julián made up stories that he had a sister who lived in hell and came to visit him through the mirror.
 * Morality Chain:  Until Daniel appears in his life.
 * Morality Pet: Daniel to  who sees himself and another chance at life in him.
 * Murder the Hypotenuse:
 * No Name Given: Fermín Romero de Torres is an alias, of course. We never do find out his real name.
 * A newspaper in the novel gives his name as Antonio José Gutiérrez Alcayete. Given the newspaper gets his informations from Fumero, it could actually be the real one as well one that Fumero invented.
 * Plot Parallel: There are plenty of parallels between the stories of Julián and Daniel.
 * Posthumous Character: Guess who?
 * Really Gets Around: Fermín is a mild version of this, he flirts with every woman he sees, but has stayed monogamous since he met Bernarda.
 * The Reveal:
 * Stalker with a Crush: Francisco Javier Fumero used to be one for.
 * Surprise Incest:.
 * Tragic Monster: Lain Coubert.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: Again, Fumero, who always seems to be on the winning side.