Recently published August 25, 2009 by Doubleday (a divison of RandomHouse)
This amazing novel is virtually impossible to talk about without giving away some of its magic, so I’ll let the publisher’s description stand:
A man arrives at an insane asylum in contemporary Spain claiming to be the legendary navigator Christopher Columbus. Who he really is, and the events that led him to break with reality, lie at the center of this captivating, romantic, and stunningly written novel.
Found in the treacherous Strait of Gibraltar, the mysterious man who calls himself Columbus appears to be just another delirious mental patient, until he begins to tell the “true” story of how he famously obtained three ships from Spanish royalty.It’s Nurse Consuela who listens to these fantastical tales of adventure and romance, and tries desperately to make sense of why this seemingly intelligent man has been locked up, and why no one has come to visit. As splintered fragments of the man beneath the façade reveal a charming yet guarded individual, Nurse Consuela can’t avoid the inappropriate longings she begins to feel. Something terrible caused his break with reality and she can only listen and wait as Columbus spins his tale to the very end.
Thomas Trofimuk’s Waiting for Columbus chronicles the mysterious man’s time at the Sevilla Institute for the Mentally Ill and the relationship he forms with Nurse Consuela as he gradually unfolds the story of his—Columbus’s—life and the great disaster that ruined his voyage. He tells these stories with raw emotion, striking description, and palpable sensuality. And they are chock full of anachronistic details—ringing telephones, honking cars, rich old Jewish people funding his trip in exchange for a cruise to the Canary Islands—that creep in just as we begin to wonder whether he might really be who he says he is.
Waiting for Columbus is one phenomenal mindf#@k of a novel. Trofimuk gives nothing away until he absolutely must, and the journey is mesmerizing. Columbus’s stories pull us in and take us for the kind of ride that leaves you with that fuzzy-headed feeling where you don’t really know which way is up. The first 80% of this book is intentionally puzzling and ambiguous in a can’t-put-it-down-must-know-how-it-ends sort of way, and that is a very, very good thing.
Trofimuk seems to understand that readers can only handle so much wondering, that even in this tale that jumps from the late 1400s into the present day, there must be some kind of resolution, and he gives it to us in an incredibly satisfying way. While readers who prefer a linear beginning-middle-end fashion of storytelling might struggle to appreciate or enjoy the organization of this novel, they will not be left hanging. Trofimuk answers the central questions and makes the journey SO WORTH IT. And this is certainly one of those books that is about the journey.
Waiting for Columbus is a dazzling, devastating,one of a kind book that I found impossible to put down. I talked about it non-stop as I was reading it, and I don’t intend to stop any time soon. This is a read that will keep you breathless and leave you gasping for more. 5 out of 5.
UPDATE: A few weeks after I posted this review, the author graciously agreed to write a guest blog about how Waiting for Columbus came to be. Read it here.
Thanks very much to Ann Kingman for introducing me to this unforgettable book and RandomHouse for providing a copy for review.
Filed under: Book Reviews | Tagged: Book Reviews, books, fiction, reading, thomas trofimuk, waiting for columbus
[...] Book Review: Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk [...]
Wow Rebecca, this sounds amazing.
“Waiting for Columbus is a dazzling, devastating,one of a kind book that I found impossible to put down. ”
That is high praise! I’m going to go add this to my buy soon list. Great review!
Thanks! It’s certainly not something that everyone will like, but if you’re with me on some of the more literary, about-more-than-the-plot books I’ve loved in the past, this one might be right up your alley.
I just finished this. Wow. It was everything you said and more. Thanks for the great review and encouraging me to read it!
I’m putting this on my must-read list now!!!
I also read this because of Ann Kingman’s review on BOTN!
I love your descriptive phrasing and what a great review. I couldn’t put it down, but needed to at times so I could get my head around it.
I’m following you on twitter and enjoying your blog!
Oh this sounds wonderful!! Thanks for a review that made my add it to my TBR list!!
[...] See the original post here: Book Review: Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk « The Book … [...]
I’ve seen this one around but had no idea what it was about. Your review grabbed me by the collar and said “read it now or else!” so I am adding it to my pile.
Wow. What a recommendation! I’m sold!
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Ah! I’ve definitely added this to my list. Great review!
Great review! I’m sold. Adding it to my list right now.
But tell us what you really think!
Seriously, I saw this when I was in the bookstore last week but didn’t have time to even read the jacket. However, your great review puts in on my TBR list today.
Phenomenal mindf**ck of a novel??? Ha! I love it! See this is not something I would pick up normally. I would think “now why the hell would I want to read about Columbus?” But you have me convinced. I am going to trust you blindly.
That’s a lot of pressure, Sandy! I sure hope you like it.
I am so thrilled that you read and loved the book! I actually had a bad moment on Sunday when you posted the review for WAKE. Knowing that you had been reading WFC and also that you don’t post for books you dislike, I thought you had panned WFC!
I love this book and I freely admit that I have a literary crush on the author. It’s killing me that I can’t get an expedited passport in time to see him on his book tour! I’ve been obsessed with WFC ever since BOTN mentioned it in passing last April (insane 4 months followed…) and I’ve recommended it relentlessly among my friends and co-workers.
WFC is so expressive and poetic … definitely a top tier read…
I just needed some time to think about WFC and formulate the review properly. I picked up WAKE spur-of-the-moment and read it out on the patio while hubby did yard work, so it was ripe for the reviewing. And I do review books I dislike, if I finish them. Just for the record
OK, remember when I said I had a literary crush on Thomas Trofimuk? Well, my heart is broken! He loves *you!* Check out his blog: http://www.thomastrofimuk.com/
O to the M to the G! Thanks so much for sending me over there, Tanya!
It sounds wonderful! Except that the nurse has the same name I did in 7th grade Spanish…bad memories there. Still, I just might have to get over that to read this one!
I’ll be really interested in your reaction, Jill, since we tend to be different kinds of readers. This one doesn’t have the crazy levels of SYMBOLISM AND DEEP MEANING you talked about in reference to John Irving, but there is some of that, and it’s certainly not a linear story. But it is wonderful, and I want everyone to give it a shot!
I love your review–sounds like a mesmerizing book!
I had not heard of this one but it looks ike one I’m going to need to add to my tbr list.
This book sounds really great. In an American lit class I took last year, I actually learned a bit about Columbus and became increasingly interesting in the people of that time period. While I understand that this is not a historical fiction, it sounds really interesting. I like the sound of it and while it seems to be complex, I like the fact that it throws the reader for a loop. I love books that can take me by surprise. Definitely adding this to my TRB list.
Well this just sounds fascinating. It is going on the wishlist now!
This sounds incredible, and this is the first I’ve heard of it. I’m off to the wishlist right now!
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I just checked this out from the library. I definitely plan on reading it this week. Great review.
[...] several weeks ago when I raved about this amazing book and called it “one phenomenal mindf#@k of a novel” and then tweeted myself silly (and forced it on friends, customers, clients, and a few perfect [...]
[...] Reviews: The Book Lady’s Blog; A Bookworm’s [...]
I am definitely adding this to the must-read list!
[...] a book a “phenomenal mindf#@k” is a great way to get people to buy the book….and acquire a bunch of really bizarre followers [...]
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[...] Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk – I bought this one because of Book Lady’s rave review. [...]