The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2
The Angel's Game
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Contents
Act One - City of the Damned — Chapter 17
Overview
Vidal’s novel, secretly written by David, launches to universal acclaim, even dedicated to Cristina, while David’s own book is panned and scarcely stocked. Exposing his publishers’ evasions and tiny print run, David refuses to return to his old pulp work, marking a defiant break amid growing betrayal and erasure.
Summary
Nine weeks after finishing Vidal’s manuscript, David Martín visits the Catalonia bookshop and finds lavish displays of The House of Ashes by Pedro Vidal—using the title David once suggested. Skimming the text, David confirms it contains only his words, except for a dedication to Cristina Sagnier.
David surveys the newspapers. Vidal’s novel receives rapturous, hyperbolic praise, with profiles crowning him a national master. By contrast, David’s own The Steps of Heaven draws scathing, dismissive reviews that label his debut clumsy and the year’s worst.
Trying to buy his book, David discovers shops have no copies; the publisher claims they are out of stock or awaiting reprints. Repeated visits reveal identical excuses and prominent displays only for Vidal’s novel.
David confronts his publishers, Barrido & Escobillas, who blame the press for poor orders and insist thousands of copies sit in the warehouse. David counters that he saw only a few hundred; they shift stories and say others collected copies, promise future shipments, and suggest David return to writing City of the Damned under his pseudonym.
Realizing he has been sidelined and manipulated, David rejects their appeal and ends the meeting with an insult, refusing to resume the pulp series despite pressure and humiliation.
Who Appears
- David MartínProtagonist; sees Vidal’s novel (which he wrote) triumph, his own book derided and suppressed; confronts publishers and refuses to return to pulp.
- Pedro VidalMentor-turned-beneficiary; publishes The House of Ashes, fully written by David, and is celebrated by the press.
- BarridoPublisher; deflects blame onto the press, offers excuses about stock, urges David back to City of the Damned.
- EscobillasCo-publisher; hostile and evasive about print runs, praises Vidal’s novel, pressures David to resume pulp work.
- Lady VenomPublisher’s assistant; present during the meeting, tacitly aligned with her bosses as David is belittled.
- Cristina SagnierAppears in Vidal’s dedication; her name underscores David’s sense of betrayal and Vidal’s public appropriation.