Carlos Ruiz Zafon: THE ANGEL'S GAME

David Martin, a struggling writer, narrates his story. He writes pulp fiction using pseudonym;  it has a good following. But when he tries to publish a serious novel using his real name, it flops. Critics call his work thrash. But the novel he has ghostwritten for a friend, published at the same time as the his novel, is lauded as a masterpiece. And this friend he ghostwrites for steals his true love. Then a mysterious benefactor disguising as a publisher contracts him to write a novel. A lot of strange happenings follow. The book looks like an interesting version of Dickens' Great Expectations, which actually makes it more intriguing for me.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon has control in his prose. He writes to sustain mystery until the end. His prose, in translation though, is crisp, but with occasional artful playing with words.

Rating: 4.5/5.0