Waiting for Columbus

By Thomas Trofimuk

Highly acclaimed Canadian novelist Thomas Trofimuk bursts onto the international literary stage with this dazzling novel, rich with all the emotional intensity of The English Patient.

In a Spanish mental institution in 2004, a man who believes he is Christopher Columbus begins to tell his story. Nurse Consuela listens, hoping to discover what tragedy drove this educated, cultured man to retreat from reality. This Columbus is not heroic: he falls in love with every woman he meets, and, on land, he has absolutely no sense of direction. More troublingly, he is convinced a terrible tragedy is coming. Yet with each tale, Consuela draws closer to this lost navigator.

Waiting for Columbus is richly imagined, cinematic, and often playful; a novel about truth, loss, love, and hope by a writer at the height of his powers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 25, 2009
• ISBN: 9781551993065

Reviews for Waiting for Columbus

[bnbooklady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.Read my full review at The Book Lady's Blog.

[frisbeesage · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Waiting for Columbus is the story of a man in a mental institute in Spain who believes he is Christopher Columbus. Since he was pulled out of the Strait of Gibraltar, who he really is and how he came to be there is unknown. As the staff at the institute try to unravel his story he slowly begins to charm them, reveling a compelling intelligence. He tells tales of Columbus' life to his lovely and devoted nurse Consuela until the tales start to lead gradually into his own. Also in Spain is Inspector Emile Germain searching for a mysterious man who disappeared from the scene of a crime. If you believe, with every fiber of your being, that you are Christopher Columbus, does that make it true? How do you know when you are sane, or not? Waiting for Columbus is a well-written character study on the insane and the people who work in mental institutes. The people in the book are infinitely human and it is possible to imagine yourself in their situation. Heartbreaking as the story is, yet it is filled with gentle, sometimes pointed humor. The places where Queen Isabella collides with modern day are very funny and provide some good comic relief to the intensity. I listened to the audio version of this book, beautifully read by Grover Gardner.

[mckait · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting read. Although it was a long and winding road, the journeywas a good one. Columbus. Who would have guessed that Christopher Columbus would everbe a controversial figure. Columbus discovered America in 1492. Period.Not so fast~ that may not be the way it happened. But although this book is calledWaiting for Columbus, it is not that Columbus. Or, is it? Well maybe. It mightbe Christopher Columbus, pal of Queen Isabella and Captain of the la Callega. But wait,isn't that the Santa Maria? Well yes it is! Confusing, isn't it?Waiting for Columbus is a somewhat confusing book. The man who was gor many years honoredfor discovering the Americas flipping channels on tv, and using a phone. How can that be?Ask Zimmerman, whoever he is. What?What indeed. Fifteenth century, twenty first century, one overlaid by the other.Intriguing. Who is this Christopher Columbus anyway? That indeed is the question.We do find out by the way. With the help of the most intriguing Emile, the earnest Dr Balderas,and the beautiful Consuala who is a little bit in love with...someone.I am glad I read this book. It is a mystery, a love story and has a form of time travel tossed infor good measure. Mental time travel, but it is there, to be sure. It is worth getting through theoccasionally slow and redundant story to get to the answer. Most of the story drew me in andthe characters were likable and interesting.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thomas Trofimuk is a Canadian author who is new to me - and one I'm very glad to have found. The premise of Waiting for Columbus very much intrigued me.A bedraggled man is forcibly delivered to an institute for the mentally ill in Sevilla, Spain. He insists that he is Christopher Columbus and it is imperative that he speak to the King and Queen about arranging for his ships. He needs to phone them right away.Consuela is the nurse assigned to Columbus when he arrives. When Columbus begins to tell the story of how he got his boats, she is the one who listens. The stories are rich with details of the 15th century. Columbus tells Consuela tales of his loves, wants, trials and desires. Just when we're caught up in that time period, an anachronism interjected into the tale, such as using a cell phone or turning on a television, jars us back to the present day. What has happened to this man to make him retreat to the 15th century - and why Columbus? Consuela finds herself captivated (and a little bit in love with him), as do all who come into contact with him."For her, the details of his stories are remarkable. The clarity with which he paints these word pictures is sometimes quite marvellous. She sometimes finds herself caught beyond redemption, so enthralled that she wants to believe him. Something denied inside her yearns to believe him."In a separate story line we meet Emile, a detective. His story is somewhat of a mystery as well. An incident from two years ago is alluded to, but not explained. Emile is just back to work. We know that he is good - very, very good at finding lost people. Does he hold the answer to 'Who is Columbus?'Trofimuk had me spellbound, turning page after page. I was totally enthralled with Columbus's story and trying to tease out details that would give me a clue as to who he truly was. But I was just as caught up in the 1400's. The stories are lavish with detail, sensual and emotional. I almost wanted him to be Columbus.Trofimuk's descriptions and prose are rich and evocative."Regardless of his ranting, she liked the colour of his voice. It sounded like burnt sienna, and at the bottom, the colour and texture of fine sand." A unconventional, multi tiered tale of love, loss and redemption that will grab you and not let you go until the final pages......

[gayle_c._bull · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nurse Consuela Lopez is no stranger to unusual conversations; she works at Spain's leading mental institution. But when a newly arrived patient who believes he's Christopher Columbus singles her out to tell the tale of how he got his ships, she realizes his stories contain the key that could return him to sanity and his real identity.A well-executed and convoluted story about the nature of friendship and the frailty of the human heart and mind. It's pacing was wonderful, I could hardly put it down but at times I felt the emotion was a bit diluted considering the content of the story. Still, it was a very enjoyable read and I recommend to anyone looking for some light reading.

[peterjawilson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Back-to-back books dealing with mental patients and the weaving of stories past and present. This was another well crafted narrative that pulled together a number of stories into a well constructed tale. Someone who escapes from tragedy through assuming the role of Christopher Columbus and ultimately resolving, to a certain extent, who he is and what he as endured. Not what one would consider a feel good story but at the end of the day it has a resolution that does make one feel closure and a certain sense of peace.

[heather_brock-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book let me down. The only saving grace was that the writing was beautiful. Unfortunately that's not always enough to save a book. The idea was certainly interesting, but to me the execution failed. It also dragged. I wanted to reach inside the book and shake the narrator telling them to "get on with it already". I'd call this a pretty sub-par experience.

[tomgirl571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I finished Waiting For Columbus the other day and I'm pretty sure Thomas Trofimuk is one of my new favorite authors. I started reading it as soon as I could after getting it for my birthday.The main story is about a man who is brought to a mental hospital. He doesn't have any ID on him, and he claims that he is Christopher Columbus. Nurse Consuela sits with him as he starts to tell her his story, but this isn't the "true" story of how he ended up in the hospital. Instead, it's the story of "Columbus", taking place in the 1400s (although Columbus is really straddling two worlds..he'll be talking to Queen Isabella and then a phone will ring). Throughout the book, both the reader and Nurse Consuela are trying to piece together what could have happened to this man to make him suddenly start thinking he was Columbus.The writing in this novel is fantastic! As I read, the words seemed to glide through my brain like silk. I'm not sure if it was the words Trofimuk used or the beautiful sentences he was able to string together, but something about his writing made me swoon! I also loved how he was able to (seemingly so easily too) intertwine the time Columbus thinks he's living in (the 1400s) and the present time that he is really living in. It takes a great author to do something like that. And Trofimuk's got it.Basically I loved this book and it's all I've been talking about at home and with my friends and boyfriend. I can't wait to see what Trofimuk will put out next!

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is partly a mystery -- who is this man who believes he is Christopher Columbus, and why are the police looking for him? It is also an exploration of how we deal with trauma. The setting is an institution for the insane, where a strange man tells stories about his life as Christopher Columbus to his nurse. She and his doctors wonder if they will ever unlock the secret that keeps their patient locked in the 15th century. Columbus's stories are confusing...often set in a 15th century complete with telephones and television. The reader, like the other characters, is left wondering what grain of truth there is in the stories. The author brings it all together well. A great read.

[burmisgal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the history and the mystery of this great story.

[lkernagh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"We all need Columbus, he thinks. Columbus does not turn away from adventure. He dreams big and then chases those dreams. He sails, fearless or fearfully, into the unknown. He looks toward the horizon with curiosity and wonder. And Columbus loves ferociously."The quote above is my favorite from this novel by author Thomas Trofimuk. The premise of the story appears simple: Three members of the Spanish National Police Force deliver a patient in a straight jacket to the Sevilla Institute for the Mentally Ill. The only information that the staff at the institute have been provided with is that the patient is named Bolivar and that he had been found in the Strait of Gibraltar... not near it, in it. The patient believes that he is Christopher Columbus, the 15th century navigator, and over time decides to tell Nurse Consuela how he, Columbus, got his boats to make his historic trip to travel in search of a direct route to Japan. While Nurse Consuela searches for clues to the man's true identity in his tales of romance and adventure in the 15 century, a French Interpol officer is on the hunt for a missing person of interest.I enjoyed this one. It has the suspense of a who dun-nit with the intrigue of 15 century politics/religious interests mashed up in the present tense - Queen Isabella's security agents have cell phones and guns, one of Columbus's female interests waits for him in a Starbucks while another watches television with him and Columbus appears to have a lack of any intuitive navigational skills. An interesting and intriguing missing person "Who are you?" case that should not be construed as a historical fiction, even if it does contain some elements of history.

[rogerlp_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent book. The journey of discovery is worthwhile!

[samantha71020 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Waiting For Columbus begins with a man being admitted into a mental instituion claiming that he is Columbus. Nobody seems to know who he really is and the stories he tells are all about exploring new lands, his ships, and the journey he plans to undertake. Before she knows it, Nurse Consuela is caught up within Columbus' stories and finds herself believing him. But the question of Columbus' real identity is a mystery that is just waiting to be solved.The book started off a bit confusing for me as we are instantly thrown into Columbus' stories and supposed "memories". So it took me a bit to really catch on and immerse myself within the book. Before I knew it though I was swept away into the stories that Columbus was telling to Consuela. This book just had a wonderful atmosphere to it and although it wasn't historical fiction, it did have a historical feel to it. The author's note afterwards said that he based some of the stories on research that he had read on the real Columbus. I loved Columbus' character and was curious about him from the very beginning. Who was he really? And why did he believe he was Columbus? These were questions that were constantly running through my head. Because you know that he isn't the real Columbus. And it didn't really matter because halfway through the novel I felt myself kinda/sorta believing that he was Columbus even when I knew that it wasn't possible. That is how caught up in the story that I was. The writing was beautiful and really helped to make this novel even better. The ending was strong and although it left things open a bit, I wasn't left feeling unsatisfied at all. All in all, a great read and one that I would recommend.

[bookmagic_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A man is found washed up on the Spanish shore of the Strait of Gibraltar. He insists that he is the legendary Christopher Columbus and is taken to an insane asylum in Seville. Consuela is a nurse at the asylum and the man who calls himself Columbus tells her his memories/stories. But his stories seem to be mixed in with modern life.Emilie works for Interpol and begins tracking a missing man that has been declared suspicious. As he tracks his mystery man, Columbus enthralls Nurse Consuela with his stories and she begins to fall in love with him.my review: I loved this book, it was so well-written and beautiful. I would read just a couple of chapters a day as I really wanted to savor this amazing work.As Columbus tells his tales, one can feel how haunted this man is and as he nears the end of his stories, his fear of what he will discover about himself, if he lets go of his conviction that he is Columbus. The author moves back and forth from the the fifteenth century Spain to the present and while some may not like that kind of writing, I felt that it was perfect for the story.It is hard for me to review this book and do it justice. But once I finished it, I understood why Rebecca from The Book Lady's Blog could not stop raving about this book on twitter.Let's just say it is amazing, touching, thought-provoking, amusing, compelling, and brilliant and leave it at that!my rating 5/5

[jovilla_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The setting is a psychiatric hospital in modern day Sevilla, Spain. A very disturbed patient is brought into the hospital, claiming to be Christopher Columbus. His nurse Consuela is mystified by Columbus's detailed stories of his life and experiences preparing for his voyage to the new world. As the story progresses, she finds her feelings for her patient become personal and begin to cross the line of what is appropriate. I struggled a bit with the first half of this book because it often confusingly changes between modern times and Columbus's time, 500 years ago. For example there may be a scene seemingly set in the late 1400's but also including Starbucks or cell phones. I kept thinking, where is this book going and why is it so highly rated by so many people? If it hadn't been so highly acclaimed, I might have given up. But I'm glad I persisted; the ending is extremely satisfying and now I can recognize the poetic and beautiful writing.

[tracey8824_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story of a man who believes he is Christopher Columbus and the people he touches at the insane asylum is wonderful. I could not get enough of this book, right up until end. You wonder if you're ever going to find out who he really is and what happened to him. This is an amazing book.

[baswood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A beach read, but the beach was the beautiful city of Paris. We took a short break to take in some art galleries and for me to buy a new saxophone and we also met up with FlorenceArt. I suppose that Waiting for Columbus would be considered as a Romance with a flavour of the 15th century, there is also a mystery element and the rather tired trope of unravelling the story of a person who is institutionalised in a mental hospital, believing himself to be a famous historical figure; in this case it is Christopher Columbus.The story mixes elements of the 21st century with a telling of the story of Christopher Columbus, through broken fragments from the memories of the mental patient. It is romanticised, because the mental institution is described in the same dreamy prose as the rest of the novel and of course the beautiful unmarried nurse Consuela is earmarked for a romance with her patient. The mystery element will pull many readers on through the book and this reader was not disappointed with the quality of the writing. The soft, sensual language can make this story seem more like a fairy tale than a modern day romance, but there are one or two sex scenes that introduce elements of reality. The characters are well developed and the dialogue works well enough. This is a love story, teetering on the edge of tragedy and kept me entertained during those inevitable downtimes when travelling. 3.5 stars.

[capriciousreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am in one of those very delicate positions of wanting to write a review of a book I am absolutely crazy about. I have to hit that perfect balance of telling you just how great this book is, without overdoing it. Even describing what Waiting for Columbus, Thomas Trofimuk?s debut novel, is about is hard. There is just so much there, too much to even hope to condense in a cognizant way, but I shall try, for you, my dear readers, because I loves you and wants you to read this book because I knows whats best for you. Trust me.Christopher Columbus is alive and well and he?s looking for his ships so that he can sail to the west and prove that it is possible, and quicker, to sail to Japan and India by that route. At least that is what the strange, good-looking, angry man who was pulled from the Straits of Gilbrator would have everyone believe. When he is taken to an asylum in Seville, Spain, he understandably flips out. Once calm, he begins to tell his story to his nurse, Consuela, who is instantly intrigued, and smitten, with this strange, sad, confused man.Columbus?s stories are passionate, haunting, and spellbinding. As he tells his stories, this man?s own, true story, begins to come to the surface. Small clues at first, like the suggestion of a telephone, or a television, show that Columbus isn?t exactly who he thinks he is. It all builds up to a crescendo that, once met, leads to an astonishing portrait of one man?s desperate mission to forget the one, tragic thing, that lead to such an unusual, and heartbreaking, split from reality.This is Trofimuk?s first novel, but it definitely does not read like a first novel. He definitely knows what he?s doing. The writing is without a doubt some of the most beautiful and poignant I?ve ever read. He brought me to tears with one. word. One word. And it was such a simple word, but it was heartbreaking. And please, don?t let my talk of tears and heartbreaking and poignancy put you off. This book is sad, yes, but it is so beautiful. I?ll give you a quote, to wet your appetite? He looks at her as she sets the chessmen in their starting positions. Her astounding blue eyes-a cross between periwinkle and navy. Shoulder-length black hair and a smile that ruins him. It?s as if her smiles do not come froma shallow place but, rather, come from the holy place in her, where prayers, and faith, and love exist. It is not that she rarely smiles. Consuela smiles often. It is just that he has noticed her smiles are not frivolous. They are, inded, like prayers, like colorful flags with prayers printed on them. p.278and There are days when she wishes she could be blunt, or even violent. She?d like to shake him-get the remaining stories to fall onto the ground. Then they could stand around and look at the bones of his stories, all haphazard and abstruse on the pebbles. In the clear light of day, they could perhaps make sense of these bones, put them in order, find the end, and more important, find the beginning before the beginning. p281.See? The prose! It?s beautiful! Don?t look to Amazon for reviews of this book, those buggers don?t know what they are talking about. This is one of those novels that will stay with you. It is one that won?t let you put it down. It is one of those novels that, once you turn that last page, will be begging you to read it again. It?s one of those novels that might very well change your life. It is definitely a great way to start the reading year.

[jenners26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book Description from Shelfari: 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 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 facade 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.My ThoughtsThe closest analogy I can come up with to describe this book is watching a photograph develop in a darkroom. At first, you see nothing but a few shades of gray here and there. Then the borders come into focus. Then the full picture begins to fill in ... becoming clearer and clearer until you are looking at the fully formed photograph.In this book, the "photograph" being developed is the man claiming to be Christopher Columbus. Of course, since it is 2004, we know he isn't the real Christopher Columbus. But who is he and why is he claiming to be Columbus? We join Nurse Consuela in listening to Columbus's fanciful and detailed accounts of his adventures. Yet his tales are filled with anachronisms that bring into focus, little by little, who this man really is in the present day and what happened to cause his break with reality.Trofimuk does a brilliant job in creating the atmosphere and rhythm of Columbus's stories. You know how you read books and you can just visualize everything that is happening as if you are watching a movie? I felt like this throughout this book, and I'm not even sure how Trofimuk pulled this off. When I was reading, I just felt very present in the story, as if I was there watching it happen. So when Columbus is telling one his tales of his explorations and suddenly a cell phone rings in his story, it is jarring as if you were watching a movie set in the Middle Ages and suddenly a car drove by in the background.I think this is the brilliance of the book. Like Nurse Consuela, you begin to fall in love a little bit with Columbus and his outsized personality and adventures. So when you are shockingly and repeatedly reminded that he is NOT Columbus and instead a man who has had a break with reality, you are jerked back into the real world. And as the book moves ever closer to revealing the man behind Columbus and why he took on this persona, you begin to mourn the loss of Columbus, just as Nurse Consuela must deal with her feelings of losing her patient as he begins to heal.This was a beautifully written book that works its way under your skin. At its heart, this is a story of love, loss, grief, heartbreak, loneliness and how our minds cope with these emotions. It is a book meant to be read slowly and savored, and I suspect it will leave its mark on you like it did me. If you like literary fiction with a melancholy bent, this book is a must read.