THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Author: Gaston, Leroux. This book starts with the following question: In the deepcatacombs of the Paris Opéra there lives aphantom who scares everyone to death. But is he really a phantom?The phantom of the opera lived in thecatacombs of Paris's most famous Opera house. He came up to fulfill his two great passions - music and the charming performer/singer Christine Daaé. The phantom, a prisoner of his own disfigurement, wanders around the Opéra haunting those who criticise his figure and turning Christine's voice into the most pure musical instrument Paris has ever been graced with. He is seen by no one, but soon, everyone feels his presence and starts to fear him. Within the dark corridors, rooms and trap doors of the Paris Opéra, this mysterious presence slowly takes life. The image of an evil spirit fades and in its place, the phantom becomes human. The book, which was written in a journalistic fashion, mentions an accident that took place in 1896, when one of the heavy-set chandeliers fell over the audience, and it also takes into consderation the Opera's buidling itself, in that the architect created a complex structure of corridors and passageways known only to him.
Erick, the phantom, is talented in architecture and passionate about music. The narrative reads like a documentary where fiction becomes fact. We truly believe that the phantom is flesh and bones rather than an apparition that wanders the huge Opéra aimlessly. The plot includes an endangered herion - Christine Daaé - who is threatened by this phantom who lives beyond society. In the end, we find out that Erick has a human edge and that the unrequited love he feels for this young lady transforms him into an angel of music, rather than the repulsive being we see him as. He kidnaps Christine, but even though he reveals his disfigurement, she is not bothered by it. In order to become a good person, the phantom needed love. I recommend this book because it is an interesting read and it shows us the human evils that many times can only be cured by love, brotherly or otherwise.