The Labyrinth of the Spirits

The Labyrinth of the Spirits

by Carols Ruiz Zafón

★★★★

This is the 4th and final book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series.

To begin, The Shadow of the Wind will always be one of my favorite books. It is the first book in this series and a classic gothic novel. At this point, I've fallen so in love with Zafón's characters and his rich descriptions of Barcelona, that I have a hard time being objective about his work. I am more forgiving when there are plot hiccups because I'm already invested in the world he created. That being said let me dive into this latest installment.

The Labyrinth of Spirits picks up shortly after The Prisoner of Heaven ends. Our main protagonist is the troubled Alicia Gris. She's a bit of a femme fatale with her own troubled past and wounds, both physical and mental. The book pulls you in immediately with a scene from Fermin's past, but then we move forward in time and the middle has some pacing issues.

The plot is so convoluted with extra characters and layers upon layers of history that at times it’s hard to follow. I didn’t barrel through it as quickly as The Prisoner of Heaven or savor the atmosphere like The Shadow of the Wind. Instead I found that I enjoyed it most when I could sit and give it my full attention for a large chunk of time. Clocking in at over 800 pages (at least in ARC form), you need to sink into this world to juggle the different characters. Once you do, you are rewarded with slow but sure development. Obviously my favorite moments are when we return to the Sempere family. Once Alicia's path crossed with theirs I felt more connected.

***After this point my review assumes you’ve already read the whole series, but there are no spoilers for this book*** 

There's a moment in the book when Zafón actually explains the arch of the series. It's just perfect and gives an insider's wink to anyone who has read all four books. About The Labyrinth of Spirits he says,

 “The fourth installment, fierce and enormous, spiced with perfumes from all the earlier ones, would lead us at last to the center of the mystery, uncovering all the puzzles with the help of my favorite fallen angel of mist, Alicia Gris.”

It's a perfect summary. Despite the author's sometimes loquacious tendencies and a pile of characters that it's easy to confuse (Gris' detective partner Vargas, her mentor Leandro, Inspector Fumero's apprentice Hendaya, the banker Sanchís and his wife Victoria Ubach, the author Víctor Mataix and his daughter Ariadna, the fumbling stalker Rovira, the journalist Vilajuana, the missing political minister Mauricio Valls, the besotted Fernandito, Daniel's cousin Sofía, and on and on...), the book is still a delight. It's a bit of work, but it's worth it in the end because it ties the whole world together.

I'm so glad we get to know Isabella Sempere's character a little better. Often when we lose a parent at a young age, it's easy to turn them into an idealized saint. Seeing the real person, full of flaws and bad decisions, can be painful, but it's so much more real. We finally have a chance to meet her, full of fire and grit, and hear her story in her own voice. It’s always been a flaw out Zafón’s to paint women as either whores or saints instead of giving them depth. I felt like this book gave us a few that were more developed, although it's certainly still focused more on the men. I wish we'd had a chance to explore the world through Bea's eyes, but we never get that privilege. Instead, the story comes full circle with Daniel and Bea's son Julián. We also spend more time with Fermin, who I've grown to love in all his irreverent glory.

BOTTOM LINE: Heartbreaking and beautiful, the story brings all of his characters together, somehow turning all four books into one complete tale. It's a must for anyone who loves the series. If you're new to his work I’d recommend try The Shadow of the Wind first to see if it's for you.

“At the time I was just a kid and life was still a few sizes too big for me.”

“However many sorrows you drag along with you, you’ll only have walked a few steps before bumping into someone who will remind you that there’s always another person with a far worse set of cards then yours in the game of life.”

“Some would argue that no genre is more fictitious than a biography.”

“With the possible exception of an autobiography,” Mataix granted.

“Learning how to differentiate between why one does things and why one says one does them is the first step toward getting to know oneself.”

“The most sincere pain is experienced alone.”

The Angel's Game

The Angel’s Game

by Carols Ruiz Zafon

★★★★☆

It's hard for me to review Zafon's work, because I love it so much. I see the flaws in this novel, it may be a bit too wordy and the plot becomes convoluted in the second half, but I still loved it. Set in the Early 20th century in Barcelona, The Angel’s Game precedes the events in Zafon’s novel, The Shadow of the Wind, but shares a few of the same characters. David Martin is a poor journalist writing pulp fiction on the side, but he dreams of doing something greater.

Zafon’s style of writing just drips with gorgeous descriptions, devious characters and tragic heroes. His gothic tales are so rich I am willing to forgive much that I would fault another author for. Like so many others, I didn't love this book as much as I loved The Shadow of the Wind, but again, I still loved it. Zafon has a few themes he always returns to in his work: the relationships between fathers and sons, men falling in love women in a higher social class, references to classic novels (Great Expectations, The Count of Monte Cristo), etc. This novel is no exception and it includes all of those things.

**SPOILERS: Where I discuss my thoughts on Andreas Corelli**

This year I re-read both Shadow of the Wind and this book and I’ve found that re-reading Zafon’s work is a lot like re-watching The Sixth Sense, once you know the ending you view the whole thing through a different lens. There’s one section where David meets Andreas Corelli and Corelli talks about his strained relationship with his father. He said he was cast out of his home and I couldn’t help thinking this was a clever reference to his father being “God” and Corelli being the Devil.

Also, I forgot quite a bit about the details of David’s brain tumor. The most fascinating thing about this book is its ambiguity. For some it’s clear Corelli is the Devil and Martin makes a Faustian deal for both his health and what his soul desires. For others Martin is clearly a victim of his own delusions, brought on by his brain tumor. It’s possible his hallucinations are caused by schizophrenia or his brain tumor and the entire character of Corelli exists only in his mind. This is possibly enforced by Martin’s mumbling conversations (witnessed by Fermin) with himself while imprisoned in The Prisoner of Heaven. If it is all in David’s mind, then he’s the one who killed his Publisher’s, not Corelli.

Or it’s possible Corelli used David as a puppet and committed the murders through him and then made him forget them. This might be supported by the moment when David saves Isabella and then leaves her attackers in the alley. He hears later that they were beaten with a pipe, just like the one he was carrying. So that indicates he might have done it but then blocked it out, Fight Club-style. There are so many possibilities!

Another indicator that Corelli really is the Devil, regardless of whether or not others can see him; the first author who lived in the Tower House went through the same thing David did. If it’s all in David’s head then the other author’s story wouldn’t make sense. And we see Christina go crazy and speak to an invisible person, which once again suggests that Corelli is there.

So my conclusion in the end is that I think it’s a combination of both things. I think it is madness, but I think it’s caused by Corelli who really is the Devil. He uses the madness as a weapon to get what he wants from people.

**SPOILERS OVER**

I was forewarned by other fans not to rush through The Angel’s Game, as I was tempted to do. Zafon is an author that should be savored. His novels are so full of his passion for both Barcelona and reading that I found myself wishing I could wander the city's streets after I put the book down. I wish so badly that the Cemetery of Forgotten Books was a real place Now that I have re-read this one I feel like I’ve noticed so many more important details and I understand it much better. I have a feeling my appreciation for it will deepen each time I return to it.

BOTTOM LINE: A beautifully twisted and strange novel, The Angel’s Game will leave you reeling and wanting to start it all over again when you finish. The complicated plot isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth it if you loved The Shadow of the Wind. If you read and enjoy that one then I would recommend both The Angel's Game and The Prisoner of Heaven.

“We looked at each other bound by an infinite complicity that needed no words.”