The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2
The Angel's Game
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Contents
Act One - City of the Damned — Chapter 2
Overview
Martín’s serial becomes a sensation, provoking Basilio’s misgivings and his colleagues’ envy. Living in a grim pensión, he receives a mysterious midnight invitation to El Ensueño, delivered by mentor Pedro Vidal. Vidal’s world of privilege contrasts with Martín’s poverty, while Cristina quietly captivates Martín, setting new personal stakes.
Summary
Martín’s back-page success evolves into a weekly outlet as he keeps his day job. He launches The Mysteries of Barcelona, a lurid serial that thrills readers but worries Don Basilio, who decries its excess. Despite exhaustion and pride in his work, Martín faces growing hostility from envious colleagues.
Struggling on meager pay, Martín rents a squalid pensión room run by Doña Carmen. Sundays bring crude camaraderie among residents, including Heliodoro, and voyeuristic glimpses of neighbor Marujita. The contrast underscores Martín’s determination to escape poverty through literature.
Pedro Vidal visits Martín’s room, its bleakness highlighting class disparity. A flashback shows Vidal’s father’s contempt for Martín, reinforcing the power the Vidal clan wields. Vidal delivers a parchment letter sealed with an angel; inside, an admirer, “A.C.,” invites Martín to a midnight rendezvous at El Ensueño del Raval.
Vidal explains El Ensueño’s reputation and needles Martín about sexual inexperience, mixing cynicism and borrowed romanticism. Their banter reveals Vidal’s privilege, love of opera, and practiced worldliness, while Martín’s defensiveness hints at insecurity and curiosity about the invitation.
From the window, Martín sees Vidal’s chauffeur, Manuel Sagnier, and learns of Manuel’s rescue from hardship by Vidal. Cristina, Manuel’s pale, poised daughter, captures Martín’s attention but does not recognize him. As Vidal departs, Martín is left with seven hours to decide whether to accept the mysterious summons.
Who Appears
- David MartínYoung writer of a sensational serial; endures newsroom envy, poverty, and receives a mysterious midnight invitation.
- Pedro VidalWealthy mentor; visits Martín’s pensión, delivers the angel-sealed letter, opines on sex and literature.
- Don BasilioDeputy editor; publishes Martín’s serial reluctantly, criticizing its morbid excess despite its popularity.
- Cristina SagnierManuel’s daughter; glimpsed from the car, quietly enthralls Martín, who remains unnoticed by her.
- Manuel SagnierVidal’s chauffeur; reputedly rescued from ruin by Vidal; seen polishing the Hispano-Suiza.
- Doña CarmenPensión landlady; strict, pious, keeps the place austere and forbids smoking.
- HeliodoroElderly resident; failed would-be matador turned bullfighting commentator, hosts Sunday gatherings.
- Marujita (“Hot Pepper”)Neighbor across the air shaft; subject of residents’ Sunday voyeurism with her seminarist lover.
- Vidal’s fatherAristocratic patriarch; once humiliated Martín, embodying the family’s power and disdain.
- A.C.Mysterious correspondent; sends angel-sealed letter inviting Martín to El Ensueño at midnight.