The Shadow of the Wind: City of Shadows: Chapter 24 Summary & Analysis

The next morning, Daniel and Fermín meet at a café to plan their day’s investigations. Fermín theorizes that Carax and Jorge were best friends, like Daniel and Tomás, until a problem arose—in the form of Penélope. Penélope’s letter suggests that when Carax left for Paris she was a prisoner in her own house, and Carax and Jorge were enemies. However, since he never got the letter, Carax must never have found out what happened to his lover. His life remains a mystery from that point until his supposed engagement to the wealthy woman and the subsequent duel.

Fermín points out that all they know after this is that Carax probably died in Barcelona in 1936, and that shortly afterwards a mysterious figure with some resemblance to Jorge named Laín Coubert appeared, bent on destroying all of Carax’s work. Daniel feels nauseous, and throws up his entire breakfast in the bathroom.

Fermín and Daniel take a cab out of the city to the school, which is housed in a large Gothic building with a garden decorated with statues of angels. Although it’s decrepit today, San Gabriel’s used to be Barcelona’s most elite boys’ school before the Civil War. Only the sons of old and prestigious families were admitted, which would have made Carax an anomalous scholarship student.

The first person Fermín and Daniel meet is Father Fernando Ramos, who just happens to have been the classmate and friend of Carax and Jorge. Fermín asks for any information he might have about their school days. Father Fernando remarks that Daniel looks like Carax, which inspires Fermín to lie that Daniel is Carax’s illegitimate son searching for information about his father. Although he doesn’t quite believe them, Father Fernando invites them inside.