👥 Suitable for those into: - gothic mystery + tragedies + deaths - atmospheric heavy stories - layered characters - philosophical threads about religion and belief 🔖 Premise Set in pre-WWII Barcelona, this is a prequel to “The Shadow of the Wind”. We follow Daniel Martin, a struggling young writer trying to earn recognition while facing a brain tumor. Then comes Andrea Corelli—a mysterious man who offers David to write a book, a book meant to create a religion in exchange for a fortune and a promise of healing. After David accepts, the world around him grows even more unexplainable, that would keep you thinking ‘WHAT?????”. —spoilers below— 📌 Themes - Success requires talent, but even more importantly, hard work and routine - Art can be a more convincing tool than reason - Belief is born from circumstances - We create our own villains to stay morally comfortable: we project onto them what we can’t admit about ourselves, then claim victimhood and superiority - Life requires big and small lies: because if we saw the naked reality of the world, and of ourselves, we would either take our own lives or lose our minds 👍🏻 Liked ✨ Beautiful Language & Cinematic Imagery - As mentioned in review for “The Shadow of the Wind”. ✨ Layered, Vivid Characters - As mentioned in review for “The Shadow of the Wind”. - The relationships each felt distinct and real as David becomes a different version of himself depending on who he is with. ✨ Great Balance between Dry, Sarcastic Humor and Gothic Tragedy - Especially the dynamic between David with his bitter wit and Isabelle (his assistant) who is quick, willful and sarcastic - Added funny / warm moments without breaking the darkness ✨ Philosophical Discussion of Religion - explores belief as something powerful, fragile, dangerous and manufacturable ✨ Open for Interpretation - I usually dislike open interpretation because they can feel like the author is lazy, but here it felt carefully crafted and both plausible - Offers two clear paths: supernatural or psychological 👎🏻 Felt Bad About ✨ Confusing at Times - filled with question marks, made me feel stupid - but the writing does hint and build towards meaning, and the confusing feeling was intended by the author ✏️ Quotes: “Envy is the religion of the mediocre. It comforts them, it responds to the worries that gnaw at them and finally it rots their souls, allowing them to justify their meanness and their greed until they believe these to be virtues.” “I hoped my absence made them happy or at least made them forget that they weren’t happy and never would be.”