FROM THE TREASURE CHEST: The Shadow of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

From the treasure chest features books that both stand out and stand the test of time. 

Publication date: 27 May 2004 (first published in 2001)
Published by: Penguin Books
Genre: Adult Fiction

Synopsis
The story begins in 1945 with bookseller, Mr Sempere, walking down the street with his 10-year-old son, Daniel.  He tells him that he cannot tell anyone about the place he is about take him.  They arrive inside a majestic building and Daniel learns that it is a secret place known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, and that when someone visits the place for the first time, they are allowed to choose one book.  It is then their responsibility to protect it and keep it safe.

Daniel choses a novel called The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax.  When he gets the book home he begins to read it and is so taken by the story and the characters that he stays up all night reading it.  When he finishes it, he wants to read more by the author and seeks out more of his works.  He discovers that not only are there no other books available in print, but that he has the last copy of The Shadow of the Wind, and that all other copies of the author's works have been destroyed.  He discovers that someone, who calls himself Lain Coubert, is tracking down the books and burning them.  Curiously, Lain Coubert is a character in Carax' novel who represents the devil.  Daniel is determined to find out about the author and why someone wants to burn all his books.  He begins investigating and in doing so digs up aspects of the past that many would rather were left buried... 

My Review:
The Shadow of the Wind is the first in a serious called The Cemetery of Forgotten Books.  I first read it about 10 years ago and was blow away.  It is an international best seller, and is said to be one of the best selling novels of all time - and no wonder.

The upside
I was captured by this story from the very beginning.  There is much in it that is heart-warming.  For example, in the opening scene when Daniel is 10 and his father tells him he must not tell anyone about The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, he asks if he has to keep it from his mother and his father replies, "Of course you can tell her, we have no secrets from her."  We then learn that Daniel's mother died several years previously.

In this story we get to see both the very best and the worst of humanity.  

The author, Carlos Ruiz Zafon said in an interview about the book that he wanted to create a story that would incorporate a mixture of genres: fantasy, mystery, historical fiction, etc.  This novel is all of these and the writing is superb.

The downside
I would like to say there is none, but, to be truthful, I was somewhat irked by the portrayal of female characters in the story.  I understand that it was set in the 1940s/50s, a different time (when the grip of the patriarchy was tight) and so for authenticity this can be justified, but the female characters reminded me of actresses in old movies (made around the same time this story is set).  For example, there is a lot of 'tearing up' for slightest of reasons, as if women in the past were more prone to crying than they are now (??).

The verdict
This is a great novel and one I recommend to all.  I truly believe it has something for everyone.  I daresay there are people who have read it and didn't enjoy it, but they are very rare creatures indeed!

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

 

Publication date:  13th June 2017
Published by:  Salaam Reads
Genre: YA Contemporary

*This review may contain spoilers*

Synopsis

Jana Yusuf is a 15-year-old Muslim girl whose parents are divorced.  She lives with her mother and her father is remarried and lives with his new family.  She has an older brother who arranges to move back home, forcing Jana to give up her bedroom and share with her mother - much to her dismay.  

Jana is an A grade student who enjoys spending time with her friends and taking pictures with her camera.  She has also developed strong feelings for a (non-Muslim) boy, Jeremy, at school.  The feelings are mutual, but she is torn, knowing they are from different worlds. 

At a party, she has a horrible experience that she feels she cannot share with anyone.  Staying silent does not make the problem go away, and failure to take action could ruin her well being and peace of mind. 

My Review

First impressions:

I spotted this book on Goodreads. The synopsis got me interested and I marked it 'to read', after which, I received quite a lot of likes for doing so - suggesting it is popular and well-liked.

The upside:
I very much enjoyed the writing style of this book. It is a coming of age story that felt very real to me.    Jana is a teenage girl facing typical teenage girl problems (and some). She is going through the challenges of growing up in a society that has little understanding of what it means to be Muslim.  She is not perfect, she can be uncharitable (especially about her brother's girlfriend, who she calls Saint Sarah) and she makes mistakes - the kind I remember making at 15.  Her infallibility was endearing to me.

Spoiler alert!

The story covers the topic of sexual assault and does it in a way that is well pitched.  Sadly, Jana feels she has to keep her bad experience a secret, and, in doing so, preserves the reputation of someone (undeservedly) respected inside her community.  Although Jana has both a Muslim (Fizz) and a non-Muslim (Tatts) best friend, she doesn't feel she can tell either of them what happened to her for different reasons.  Fizz is related to and admires the perpetrator - so she can't tell her.  She fears by telling Tatts, doing so would reinforce negative stereotypes about a community that she feels she needs to protect - so she doesn't tell her.  Fortunately, the opportunity to talk to someone does present itself.  (It is true that it can be easier to reveal personal things to a total stranger - under the right circumstances and in the right environment).

Saints and Misfits offers some insight into a community many know nothing about (including me).  I got from it that this is a close community where people band together and support each other.  It was interesting to read about the relationship that Jana formed with her elderly neighbour, Mr Ram, who she often would wheel (in his wheelchair) to the local community centre so he could meet his friends.  They share a love of books and poetry and get along very well.  Mr Ram is a wise man and Jana learns interesting things from him.  I got to thinking how uncommon this is in societies such of the US and UK - i.e., young people connecting with older people in that way and the mutual benefit that can result.  She also helps out her uncle, the Imam, whose role involves being a kind of 'agony uncle' to people in the community.  They email him their problems and seek his council.  Before he sends back his replies, he sends them to Jana to edit, and so the reader gets to see the types of problems and the (compassionate and insightful) way her uncle responds to them.  

There is a sweet romance that begins to blossom - with Jeremy - but I found myself more interested in the relationship that seemed to be developing between Jana and Nuah (who is the hero in the story for me).

The downside:

For me there isn't one.

  

The verdict.

Saints and Misfits is a really good read.   As well as providing the enjoyment of a good contemporary YA story, this book may help to dispel stereotypes.      

How To Stop Time, by Matt Haig (Audio version narrated by Mark Meadows)

Publication date: 6 July 2017

Published by: Cannongate Books

Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy

Synopsis

The story begins with the protagonist, Tom Hazard, telling us, first and foremost that, although he looks about 40, he is very old.  Tom has a rare 'condition' that severely slows down the aging process, so that he ages by about 1 year for every ordinary person's 10.  

Tom has lived for over 400 years.  He spent his teens in Elizabethan England and his twenties in 1920s Paris.  After that he continued to move around the world throughout the centuries, changing his identity and reinventing himself so as to avoid raising suspicion.

In present day, Tom wants nothing but to live an 'ordinary' life among 'ordinary' people.  He takes a job as a history teacher at a secondary school in London, where he hopes to be able to make a difference, educating and influencing young minds in a positive way. That he was actually present for the events he teaches brings the subject to life for his students.

Tom knows he must not get too attached to ordinary people, and most importantly, he must never fall in love.    

My Review

I used to listen to audiobooks quite a lot, but stopped some time ago.  I decided it was time to get back into them, since I have so many in my library waiting to be listened to.  I chose to start with How to Stop Time.  I was aware that this was a popular story but I had no idea what it was about.

First impressions:

I did not read the synopsis and not knowing the story made it a pleasant surprise for me.  I also found that I got into it immediately.  More often than not, I have to read (or listen to) a few chapters before I can normally do so, but this one got me hooked from the beginning.  

The upside:

I have read stories where the protagonist is immortal before, but this is the first time as a reader I really gained an insight into what it would be like to exist for hundreds of years.  Tom's outlook on life is very different to mortals.   He is carrying so many memories, and often the slightest thing can trigger a memory that can take him back centuries.   It is exhausting and often both emotionally and physically painful for him (headache inducing).  I got the sense that time is no longer linear for him, and we experience it by having the events of his life revealed in a jumbled way.  Nothing surprises him anymore, because he's seen it all before.  It is only the mystery that is his existence and certain unanswered questions about his personal life that give him the will to keep living.

I am not going to delve into the story.  Suffice to say, I really enjoyed it.  This kind of fiction appeals to me.  It is sci-fi/fantasy, but only just - there is a strange phenomenon at play, but the story is very much steeped in reality.  I would liken it to Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveller's Wife.   It is quite philosophical and holds a mirror up to humanity - particularly demonstrating how human beings continue to make the same mistakes over and over again throughout the centuries - history repeating itself.

The downside:

The conflict in the story takes place too late, almost nearing the end, and the resolution is rushed.

The Verdict:
I would say the story has a melancholic undertone running through it, but it is also hopeful.  

The narrator, Mark Meadows, did an excellent job of bringing the story and characters to life for me.  (I am sometimes put off audiobooks because the narration is so bad.)   

The story has made me interested in Matt Haig's work and I will definitely be reading (or listening to) more by him in future.