The Shadow of the Wind

"The art of reading is an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind."

It all started when the 10-year-old Daniel was brought by his father to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Any one who entered the haven was allowed to choose one book which he/she will guard with his life. There, Daniel chose The Shadow of the Wind, which introduced him to Julian Carax. With his literary curiosity, Daniel's life was intertwined with that of the author. Each character in the novel met by Daniel through the years slowly revealed a piece of Julian Carax' biography.

The experience of finding one author that interests you the most is just surreal. I remember when Uncle Alan and Uncle Jorge brought me together with Tanny and Marvin to Shakespeare and Company. In a sea of books and other literary pieces, I picked Love Etc. which presented Julian Barnes to me. 

I was drawn to Julian Barne's themes, style of writing, and most especially to his characters. My sister and I would always search the whole bookstore for his new novels, and make sure we get hold of a copy. Through his works, I feel like I've known Barnes deeply. I definitely agree with Nuria Monfort's words in The Shadow of the Wind:

"Julian lived in his books. The body that ended up in the morgue was only a part of him. His soul is in his stories. I once asked him who inspired him to create his characters, and his answer was no one. That all his characters were himself."

The Shadow of the Wind reflected Barcelona during and after the Civil War, revolving on the elements of family, love, friendship, relationship, politics, morality, and above all, vengeance.

"Like the good ape he is, man is a social animal characterizes by cronyism, nepotism, corruption, and gossip. That's intrinsic blueprint for our 'ethical behavior'."

"Evil presupposes a moral decision, intention, and some forethought. A moron or a lout, however, doesn't stop to think or reason. He acts on instinct, like an animal, convinced that he's doing good, that he's always right, and sanctimoniously proud to go around fucking up."

"Someone once said that the moment you stop to think about whether you love someone, you've already stopped loving that person forever."

"Probably because a stranger sees us the way we are, not as they wish us to be."

Carlos Ruiz Zafon, through his novel, inspires me to keep reading, and just let literature bring me to different dimensions of life. More than that, he has stirred my interest on writing. 

"Books are mirrors; you only see in them what you already have inside you."

In time, I'll be able to tell my own story :)

"He used to say that we exist as long as somebody remembers us."