Every now and then a book comes along that reminds me just how wonderful it is to get completely absorbed in a great story. One such book has been The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, which I finished reading this afternoon.

What a beautiful, heartbreaking story. It’s set in Barcelona in the aftermath of World War II, and relates the experiences of Daniel, a young man who comes into possession of a novel by the obscure author Julián Carax. As the plot unfolds, he learns that a mysterious figure is hunting down and burning every copy of Carax’s books in existence, and Daniel may have one of the only surviving copies. Who was Carax, and why is somebody apparently trying to destroy all traces of his life and works? Daniel starts investigating the author’s life and history, and is quickly pulled into a complex web of love, murder, and loss.

It’s hard to write this review without veering into Shadow’s wonderfully exuberant prose style–the story is told with a florid enthusiasm that borders on cheesy. The people who drift in and out of the story are caricatures: the mysterious and unknowable female; the wisecracking sidekick; the tortured and penniless artist; the prostitute with a heart of gold. While the story wends its way toward a conclusion to the Carax mystery, you quickly come to understand that the mystery plot is not the only thing this book wants you to focus on. It takes its sweet time revealing plot points, leading you on long and colorful detours throughout postwar Barcelona: elements of Gothic horror, love-at-first-sight romance, crime drama, and many other genres are all stirred together. All of this is blanketed by what I can only describe as a peculiarly European aura of mystery; if you’ve read anything by Umberto Eco or Arturo Pérez-Reverte, perhaps you know what I mean.

All I can say is that rather than winding up as the ridiculous train wreck it might have been, Shadow pulls it off and tells one heck of a story. Zafón lays down reams of melodramatic prose without flinching and pulls on your heartstrings shamelessly. “Dark and stormy night”-style thunderstorms strike during dramatic moments in the plot. Lovers recognize their eternal soulmate at first sight. Even an everyday teenage crush is worked into an epic tale of love and loss. But it all works.

I laughed out loud. I cried (and hoped my wife mistook my sniffling for the remnants of the springtime cold I had earlier this month). Summer is coming, and you’re looking for something interesting to read: do yourself a favor and give this one a try.

addendum: some kind soul has put together a site mapping out the many different Barcelona sites referenced in this novel. Very useful.