The Department of Tourism, through Tourism of the Canary Islands, has collaborated on Javier Castillo's new novel, 'The Whisper of Fire', where the islands become the protagonists. The leading author in the national thriller scene has set his latest book entirely in the archipelago, which was presented in Madrid before more than 700 people.
"With this foray into the publishing sector, we continue to demonstrate the capacity of our destination to inspire great stories and connect emotionally with diverse audiences through literature," says the Minister of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, who highlights how "culture allows us to showcase the islands through emotion and creativity."
‘The Whisper of the Fire’ is the first novel that Castillo has set in Spanish territory. As the author explained during the presentation, the inspiration for this new work arose during a family trip to the archipelago, where the writer declared himself captivated by its volcanic landscape, its climate, its gastronomy, and its idiosyncrasy.
In this way, by collaborating with Castillo, "we highlight the enormous emotional and visual potential of the islands and their mark in a cultural context," says De León.
To this end, an innovative campaign has been developed that transcends traditional advertising. The Callao Cinemas in Madrid hosted a massive event that brought together more than 700 people, including the public, media, and personalities from the cultural sector. The presentation featured Castillo himself, actors Maxi Iglesias and Pedro Alonso, who read excerpts from the work, and artist Vera GRV, a Latin Grammy nominee, who gave a musical performance.
This presentation was the culmination of a multimedia campaign developed on radio and also on YouTube and social media, with the recording of an exclusive video piece and other audiovisual content in which Castillo recounted the reasons why the Canary Islands inspired him to work on this story.
The first details of this collaboration were revealed last July with the installation of a giant canvas in the heart of Madrid, which had the peculiarity of being sensitive to light: through a shadow effect reactive to the incidence of sunlight, both the title and the cover of the book were progressively revealed over two days. In parallel, Javier Castillo published an impactful video on his social networks in which he revealed other key details of the novel, using real fire and thus alluding to the title.
Mystery and Starting Over
Castillo's new work presents a story full of mystery, narrative tension, and a strong connection to the environment, in a setting never before seen in his work, where the islands become the stage for a plot that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
The story of ‘The Whisper of Fire’ unfolds in 2019, when twin siblings Mario and Laura Ardoz visit the archipelago. He has just received his last chemotherapy session, and she believes that this trip is the best way to start over after cancer.
However, Mario suffers a relapse that keeps him in the hospital for a few days, and when he gets out, he discovers that his sister has disappeared and her cell phone locates her in a desolate lava landscape. Thus begins a race against time and a fight against the fire that seems to open up beneath his feet.
‘The Whisper of the Fire’ is the eighth book by the writer Javier Castillo (Mijas, 1987), who has established himself as one of the most widely read and recognized thriller authors in the Spanish literary scene. Since his debut with ‘The Day Sanity Was Lost,’ which became a publishing phenomenon, Castillo has published several bestselling novels translated into more than 24 languages and distributed in more than 90 countries.
With titles such as ‘Everything That Happened with Miranda Huff’ or ‘The Snow Girl’, which has become a Netflix series, Castillo has managed to exceed 2.5 million copies sold, consolidating a unique style marked by suspense, unexpected twists, and the psychological exploration of her characters.