Set in 1943 during the heights of World War II, the story follows the as they flee the city for a supposedly safer life in a small coastal town. 13-year-old Max Carver , his sisters Alicia and Irina, and their father Maximilian move into a house formerly owned by the Fleischmann family, whose young son, Jacob, mysteriously drowned years earlier. Key Characters

: The protagonist and son of an eccentric watchmaker; he is observant and inquisitive.

: The story serves as a dark coming-of-age tale, where the protagonists must face supernatural entities and real-world grief. Critical Recognition

The novel won the prestigious for young adult fiction in Spain. It is widely regarded as the "gateway" to Zafón’s later, world-renowned works like The Shadow of the Wind . EPUB & Digital Availability