Zafón’s Story Within a Story: The Shadow of the Wind

Set during the Spanish Civil War, The Shadow of the Wind is a mise en abyme, or more commonly translated as a story within a story. Carlos Ruiz Zafón, a Spanish novelist, artfully ties his book together while keeping readers hanging on his every word as he seamlessly switches storylines set during and after the Spanish Civil War.

The novel begins with friends Daniel and Fermin as they wander through the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, which is a labyrinth of unusual books hidden away from society in post-war Barcelona. There, they happen upon a mysterious story called The Shadow of the Wind by an author named Julian Carax. The book solemnly details his tragic relationship with Penelope Aldaya, who has been missing for nearly thirty years. Daniel finds himself entranced by this love story and seeks Carax and the missing Penelope Aldaya throughout Barcelona. He soon discovers that an unknown figure has been burning every book by Julian Carax. As he continues his search, Daniel’s life begins to mirror that of Julian’s in The Shadow of the Wind. What ensues is lost love, a tale of cat and mouse and ultimately a forbidden secret.

The Shadow of the Wind can be read in English or Spanish, and Zafón brilliantly incorporates the panic and fear that was pervasive during the Spanish Civil War. When read in conjunction with Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, readers will experience two very different perspectives that will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the devastating effects that the Spanish Civil War had on the people and country of Spain. The novel is admittedly dark and fairly somber, but readers will appreciate Zafón’s painstaking attention to detail. Furthermore, the mysteries within the mise en abyme will draw readers directly into the narrative and carry them through until the very end

Favorite Lines:

·      “Fools talk, cowards are silent, wise men listen.”

·      “Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul.”

Why Should High School Students Read The Shadow of the Wind

I guarantee that few, if any, English classrooms are teaching this text in class, which is a shame because teachers can incorporate literature, language and history into their classroom by utilizing Zafón’s page-turner. When I was teaching, I co-taught this novel with the Spanish teacher in my school. We developed a multifaceted unit, which allowed the students to partially read the text in Spanish. We also spent a lot of time focusing on the cause and effect of the Spanish Civil War and had the added benefit of taking students to a photography exhibit featuring images from post-war Spain.  Even without teachers leading discussions, however, students will enjoy this text simply because it shares an impactful and unusual tale told by a master storyteller (It has been translated into over 40 languages).