Sprinkled in between Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edgar Degas, Faith Ringold and my other Zafons; you will find my two newest Carlos Ruiz Zafons resting on the "read" book shelf. I treated myself to The Prince of Mist and The Watcher in the Shadows for my birthday. I knew when I purchased them that they were two of his first four novels that were originally written for young adults, and published as such. Both were an easy read, and full of the things I love about Zafon...mystery, magic, suspense, and the feeling that I've found a kindred spirit in the author. Whether it is the love of books, or the meaning of "rain", he always speaks to me. In The Prince of Mist, the young man and protaganist, Max describes rain in a way that I've searched for myself, as I watched it from my windows on the Lot:
"He wolfed down the sandwiches and then closed his eyes, listening to the rain drumming on the roof. He loved the sound of the rain and the water rushing through the gutter along the edge of the roof. Whenever it poured like this, Max felt as if time was pausing. It was like a cease-fire during which you could stop whatever you were doing and just stand by a window for hours, watching the performance, an endless curtain of tears falling from heaven. He put the book back on the bedside table and turned off the light. Slowly, lulled by the hypnotic sound of the rain, he surrendered to sleep." -Max, The Prince of Mist, p. 46, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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