The Angel's Game... but who makes the rules? (The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon)

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Date:	20/10/09 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Highly compelling atmosphere, very real characters

Disadvantages: Will be too slow for some, very similar in many ways to Shadow of the Wind

For many people, Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafon snuck into the English literary world a couple of years ago, with his highly atmospheric and deeply moving The Shadow of the Wind. Two years later, he's back with the thematically similar The Angel's Game.

Zafon's skill as a writer comes from combining seemingly strange, possibly supernatural events with a highly evocative account of life in Spain at the start of the 20th century. This merging of fiction and reality is difficult to pull off convincingly, but Zafon achieves it with ease, proving giving him the freedom to take his plot in whatever direction he wishes, whilst always grounding it in the reality of Spanish society.

The Angel's Game follows the struggles of aspiring writer, David Martin. When he is hired to write a religious work for a mysterious French publisher, he thinks his worries are over. In fact, they are just beginning.

Thematically, The Angel's Game is very similar to The Shadow of the Wind. It mixes suspense and mystery with a tale of an individual's struggle to live his own life. It is a compelling story of lost love, loyal friendships and deadly secrets. For readers of Zafon's earlier work, the tone and style is instantly recognisable, occupying a similar timeframe and even featuring some of the locations and characters from the first book. You could almost accuse Zafon of plagiarising himself and failing to come up with any new ideas for his follow-up novel. In fact, the degree of overlap is handled very well. For new readers, it is the setting and style which are similar, not the content; there is no need to have read the first book before this, since it is not a sequel as such. If you have read Shadow, you will immediately feel comfortable and familiar with the Barcelona in which Martin lives and works.

Technically, Zafon is a hugely accomplished writer, often evoking the style of other authors, whilst always maintaining his own distinctive voice. In particular, his novels are very reminiscent of the writings of Charles Dickens. His books have a slightly old-fashioned, Victorian feel, which sets them apart from most other modern literature. This style perfectly suits the slightly old-fashioned feel to the storyline and the period in which the book is set.

Zafon creates such a strong sense of time and place that the reader genuinely feels they are being transported back to early 20th Century Barcelona. Incredibly, he achieves this with only minimal reference to actual historical events - you certainly don't need to be an expert on Spain to place this book in context. It is all done through feeling and insinuation, through establishing so believable an atmosphere that you never for one minute doubt that this is what life used to be like.

Ironically, it is this ultra-real setting which allows Zafon to get away with some plot ideas which, under normal circumstances, would seem preposterous. The plot builds very slowly and always feels real within the context of the setting Zafon has defined. Only towards the end do things fall apart slightly, as though the author isn't quite sure how to end it. It loses a little focus and much of the atmosphere which it has worked so hard to establish leaks away, leading to an ending which is slightly disappointing and generic.

The realistic setting is backed up by highly believable characters. Each of the main characters is fully fleshed out and has their own life to lead. Each has their own worries, their own biases, their own fears, and the reader can identify with, and feel concern for all of them. He invests a huge amount of effort and emotion in his characters and this pays off for the reader. You sympathise with each of them. When someone dies, you feel sad both for them and the relatives they leave behind; when someone is in danger, you are genuinely worried for their safety. Rarely in modern literature does a reader get the opportunity to invest so much emotionally in a set of characters and it's a very welcome change.

The relations between the various characters all ring true, as well. Characters form loyal friendships, have arguments with each other, keep secrets and feel deep concern for each other. Friendships break down over both trivial and small matters and loyalties are stretched to the limit by events. The actions of one impact on the lives of others, whether knowingly or not and can have significant consequences.

If all this sounds a little heavy, there is a lighter side to the book too. As with Shadow, Zafon demonstrates a slightly mischievous sense of humour. His turn of phrase is often delightful and will cause you to smile, whilst some of the verbal sparring between characters is genuinely amusing, whilst also revealing the hidden and conflicting emotions the characters feel towards each other.

If there is a downside to The Angel's Game it is that the style will not be to everyone's taste. The concentration on characters and setting does mean that the book is fairly slow moving. It is almost 450 pages long, yet a huge amount of that is spent on establishing an atmosphere of mystery, rather than anything concrete actually happening. In some regards, the actual plot takes up only a relatively small part of the text. If you like your books fast-paced with regular plot developments building up to an explosive finish, then this is probably not one you will enjoy. If, on the other hand, you value evocative settings, believable characters and beautifully crafted prose, then you should pick up a copy of The Angel's Game at the first opportunity.

A slight lack of originality hampers Ruiz's second major work. There is a sense of déjà vu, a feeling that this is Shadow of the Wind with different characters and a change in the emphasis of the plot. Arguably, Zafon is in danger of plagiarising himself and a third book in a similar vein may just be one step too far. For people who value real literature, though, The Angel's Game is a must-read.

Basic Information
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The Angel's Game
Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-297-85554-5

© Copyright SWSt 2009

Summary: The Angel steps out of the Shadow