Waiting for Columbus (Hardcover)

It’s contemporary Spain, and a man who believes he’s Christopher Columbus is admitted to the Sevilla Institute for the Mentally Ill. His case is handled by Nurse Consuela, who has a penchant for drinking red wine straight out of the bottle. Meanwhile, in Paris, disgraced Interpol officer Emile Germain, assigned to a missing-person case, must leave his penthouse to go in search of a mysterious “person of interest.” Thomas Trofimuk’s latest novel has all the ingredients of a sexy, cosmopolitan mystery, deftly alternating between the viewpoints of its psychologically broken players, creating smooth transitions in what could have been a choppy read. We are also privy to the stories Columbus relates to Consuela, the unfolding epic of how he convinced the King and Queen of Spain to fund his Atlantic crossing. In the end, the key to Columbus’s true identity lies within his stories. Characters and encounters turn out to be skewed representations of people and events in his real life. It’s an interesting premise, and Trofimuk throws cars, café culture, and telephones into 15th century Spain, further blurring the line between fantasy and reality. But Waiting for Columbus never delivers on its promise. The novel is not tight enough to be truly suspenseful and often resorts to melodramatic dialogue – particularly between Columbus and Consuela. The problem may be Trofimuk’s tone. From the outset he employs sincere, sober language. He depicts Columbus as a wronged prophet, when in fact his overblown sexual escapades and tendency to end conversations with a slice of dime-store wisdom (“All stories are true, Fuentes”) make him appear more than slightly ridiculous. In one of his “memories,” Columbus and Beatriz, the mother of his children, make love on top of his navigational charts. The next day he finds a crease made from “the sweat lines of her buttocks” and decides it will be his route to the Indies. You’d laugh, but you suspect Trofimuk doesn’t mean for you to.

"What a wonderful, mad mongrel of a book — part mystery, part passionate romance, part postmodern historical romp in the spirit of Leonard Cohen's Beautiful Losers and Douglas Glover's Elle…. The hero of Thomas Trofimuk's Waiting for Columbus is, like all storytellers, a seducer — and so is the author himself. His compassion, intelligence, shrewd humor, and taste in wine make for an irresistible read."
— Steven Heighton, author of Afterlands

"Waiting for Columbus is a riveting meditation on identity, loss, and the fragility of our own life stories. Thomas Trofimuk shows us that when it comes to love, we are all Columbus, setting sail on unknown waters, hoping we won't come to an edge."
— Carolyn Parkhurst, bestselling author of The Dogs of Babel and Lost and Found

"Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk is a compelling read, a tale very well told. The idea that a mental patient convinced he is Christopher Columbus is so persuasive in the role that he has others convinced in is a masterstroke. Trofimuk's story is imaginative and realistic, fueled by an epic mystery, and the ending surprise is both shocking and deeply moving.  From beginning to end here, we are in the hands of a gifted storyteller."
— Selden Edwards, author of The Little Book

"[Trofimuk] forced me to rush headlong through his story, reading it simply for pleasure…. If you give him the chance, prospective reader, Trofimuk will use his sorcery on you, too. He'll steal precious hours from your life, which could be used for riding horses or volunteering for charity. He'll make you ignore your family, and possibly even forget to feed your children. Worst of all, he'll set you up with all these little details that you think are simply nice touches in the story, but are actually landmines planted in your subconscious, waiting to explode with pathos and beauty when you least expect it. So go ahead. Let Trofimuk steal your time and explode your head. Just don't say I didn't warn you."
— Andrew Davidson, author of The Gargoyle

"The Columbus that Trofimuk creates is both fascinating and intensely likeable…. There is real tension and suspense that builds as the novel progresses…. An impressive work, masterfully blending the history of Columbus with a real-world mystery."
— Macleans.ca

"Captivating….Waiting for Columbus is a mash-up of novelistic structures and influences. D.M. Thomas's masterpiece The White Hotel, with its puzzling and heart-rending symbology, comes immediately to mind…. A.S. Byatt's Possession, a hybrid of contemporary and historical fiction, also comes to mind….And like those works, it is one of those rare gems that works on a number of levels and makes ingenious use of eras shadowed by anxiety, uncertainty and tectonic, historic change — times like ours. Thomas Trofimuk's novel throws you for a loop, pulls you back, twists you around and opens your eyes to the world not just as it was, but as we find it."
— The Globe and Mail
 
"Powerful….A delicate but heady novel which will enthrall and captivate….The emotional impact of the novel's conclusion is devastating. Waiting for Columbus is a bravura performance."
— Edmonton Journal
 
"[Waiting for Columbus] should add to [Thomas Trofimuk's] reputation as an engaging storyteller, thanks to its fully developed characters and engaging plot….Though many writers try weaving several stories together to advance one master narrative through different protagonists, this is not easily accomplished. Trofimuk makes it look easy."
— Winnipeg Free Press
 
"A rich book, positive in its view of humanity…about love in its many forms and ultimately about the power of love to restore life and meaning….The detail and descriptions, the scent of vanilla lingering on women's skins and burnished light embroidering the Spanish setting, provide a sensual atmosphere for love and lust, to flourish and nourish [with] delightfully deep, layered, and mature writing….Stunningly lovely and deeply moving, difficult to put down and most welcoming to pick up….Intoxicating….gripping and contemporary….Unforgettable."
— The Owen-Sound Sun Times
 
"Inventive, charming….[A] multifaceted story that never loses its vitality. [Trofimuk's] literary gifts allow him to portray each character with depth, while at the same time creating a rising sense of suspense at the possibility of uncovering Columbus' true identity."
— Bookpage (US)