The two books I read this week had this in common; I didn't like them at first. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón was an overgrown, claustrophobic garden on a moonless night with the wind whipping dark trees in a frantic, anxious dance above forsaken lovers searching hopelessly for knowledge of what is true and what is an illusion as the hot breath of fate sizzles their necks. Only more so. It helped me understand the book when I read a sentence review from Stephen King.
Stephen King wrote, "If you thought the true gothic novel died with the 19th century, this will change your mind. Shadow is the real deal."
Oh, a Gothic novel like my least favorite Jane Austen novel, Northanger Abbey.
Genre aside, I found the characters good or not so great; only a few middle-of-the-road ones. The Bechdel Test is a test that asks if two named female characters talk to each other about something other than a man. (what-is-the-bechdel-test) I find the women in Shadow of the Wind only exist in relation to men or as a convenient device to move the plot forward. They don't stand on their own merit. And it irked me. Maybe this is how Gothic Novels work?
I almost abandoned the book, but its twisted plot captured me, and I had to finish. Zaphón skillfully shows the theme of fathers and sons in many different iterations, and it reminded me of all the father/son duos in Hamlet. There were many themes:themes It is a complex book to wade through. Zaphón is a good writer, but not one I enjoyed.
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The Measure by Nikki Erlick has an intriguing premise. One day everyone in the world over the age of twenty-two found a box outside their front door. In the box is a string that was the measure of their life. Everyone could know how long they would live by opening their box and measuring their string. It throws the world into turmoil. This book passed the Bechdel Test, but its many characters felt flat. However, the plot was braided together with constant surprises. I enjoyed Erlick's sleight of hand in using every character. Everyone has a purpose. I don't want to give anything away, but the ending was hopeful and encouraging. I asked myself if I would open the box to find out how long I would live? The answer is yes. I couldn't stand not knowing!
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