Catching Up With An Old Friend: Louise Cavanaugh on The Shadow of the Wind

Catching Up With An Old Friend is a series in which readers, authors, and other bookish people share their favorite books. Read more about the project or see all the past entries. To participate, e-mail atticsaltblog@gmail.com.

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Today's favorite book is from Louise Cavanaugh, who teaches third grade. She lives with her husband and two mischievous cats in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where she grew up. She enjoys reading mysteries and doing crossword puzzles.

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Carlos Ruiz Zafón's 2001 novel The Shadow of the Wind (originally published in Spain) is my very favorite book. It's the magical and mysterious story of Daniel, a young boy who finds a rare book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library of old, forgotten titles. After he finds the book, also named The Shadow of the Wind (by Julián Carax in the novel), Daniel meets a man who reminds him of a character from the novel and learns that he's tracking down every one of Carax's novels and burning them. This sets off a chain of events — including violence and murder — as Daniel is determined to figure out what's going on with Carax.

Zafón sets the novel in Barcelona post-World War II, a place filled with intrigue. His use of description and his amazing characters made it almost impossible to put this book down. It's a true masterpiece.