Book Review by Robert Wiersema The Library of Forgotten Books Series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Generally, in this column, I focus on new books; with so much being published each year, I try to shine a spotlight on titles which I hope that you don’t miss. Occasionally, though, circumstances interrupt the best-laid plans. Such is the case with this column, inspired by the death in June of Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafon. When a writer dies, I am usually prompted to revisit his or her work, both to remind myself of its importance and as an act of mourning. Writers believe – or hope – that their works will outlive them and I feel it best to do my part in making that survival come to pass. With Ruiz Zafon, however, that process was somewhat different. Reading his fiction again was like reading it for the first time and, rather than doing a ceremonial overview, I found myself utterly absorbed, transported in the way that only truly great books − and truly great writers − allow. I’ve spent weeks once again in Ruiz Zafon’s world; it’s an experience which I cannot recommend highly enough. Ruiz Zafon was born in Barcelona in 1964. The shadow of the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s still loomed over the city (General Francisco Franco would remain in power until his death in 1975) and, judging by his fiction, had a tremendous influence on Ruiz Zafon. After working in advertising in Spain, Ruiz Zafon moved to Los Angeles where he series interconnect like a mosaic, with shifting time frames (The Angel’s Game, the second novel, is actually a prequel toThe Shadow of the Wind, for example) and a flexible cast of characters, with lead characters in one book serving as supporting characters in others. The effect is heady and powerful. You can enter the library with whichever book you desire, or read the novels in any order. Each book is wonderful on its own but, taken together, they form one of the great works of literature of the past 20 years. These are novels of love lost and found, betrayal and redemption, war and peace, intrigue and redemption, shadows and light. The characters are vivid and richly rendered, none more than the city itself. Barcelona has always been one of my favourite cities and, with plans to visit again this fall scuttled by world events, visiting it in the pages of Ruiz Zafon’s novels is a grand substitute. If you enjoy books at all, you will fall in love with Zafon’s world and the people in it. More than anything, they’re tremendous fun…reading Ruiz Zafon is like watching a giftedmagician at work. He inspires awe, and a wild, readerly joy. I could write thousands of words about just how good Ruiz Zafon’s novels are, but I won’t, except to say this: there are few reading experiences as all-consuming asThe Library of Forgotten Books. Please, make time for a visit. tried his hand at screenwriting before turning to fiction. Ruiz Zafon’s literary legacy – and my current obsession – rests on The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a series of four novels set in Barcelona, spanning more than 60 years. The Shadow of the Wind, the first novel in the series, was published in English in 2004 (all of Ruiz Zafon’s novels were written and published first in Spanish), and introduced readers to Daniel Sempere and his family and to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. The Cemetery is a massive private library, a place where “books no longer remembered by anyone, books that are lost in time, live forever.” No one knows how the library began, or how old it is. Daniel Sempere is introduced to the library as a young boy by his father, a bookseller, and takes custody of a novel by a largely forgotten writer named Julian Carax. Daniel, over the next decade or so, is pursued by a mysterious figure seeking to destroy all traces of Carax’ work, and is drawn into a series of love stories, arching back into the years before the Civil War, and through to the 1950s. The Shadow of the Windwas a massive bestseller (in fact, it’s one of the bestselling books of all time) and each instalment of the series built on its success. This is not, however, a traditional series. Rather than unfolding chronologically, the novels of Ruiz Zafon’s THE SHADOW OF THE WIND THE ANGEL’S GAME THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN THE LABYRINTH OF SPIRITS CSANews | FALL 2020 | 57
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