Books
Waiting For Columbus
August 25, 2009
WINNER – City of Edmonton Book Prize
FINALIST – Georges Bugnet Award for Novel
NOMINEE 2011 – International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
A Richard and Judy Book Club pick for fall 2010
Picked as one of Richard and Judy’s “100 Books of the decade”
A #1 Edmonton Journal Bestseller
An Amazon.ca Best Book of 2009
Trofimuk’s vod-cast on Waiting for Columbus
Reviews From Around The World
“In Waiting for Columbus, he (Trofimuk) takes on the persona of the most important navigator ever to have been employed by the Spanish Court and gives him a treatment worthy of Don Quixote. He adds a crime subplot, a psychological drama, romances set in both the past and the present, and offers a multi-layered, many-voiced novel.”
—Times Literary Supplement (TLS)
“…a story of sorrow and loss that packs a huge emotional punch.”
—The TIMES
“Told with gorgeous, often quirky detail . . . daring and remarkable. . . .Grace notes of longing, of yearning, are frequent, and lovely. So are the questions that compel them. . . .”
—Charles Foran, in the Literary Review of Canada
“A wonderfully engaging study of love and loss.”
— The Sunday Post (UK)
“An imaginative and authentic hybrid of romance, mystery and historical novel, with bits of War on Terror-era political analogy thrown in, the Canadian novelist’s eagerly awaited British edition will have readers gripped.”
— The Catholic Herald (UK)
“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 deliriously imaginative and heart-wrenching…inexorably pulls readers along until its conclusion, which is fitting and devastating – and unforgettable…Love, according to Trofimuk, can drive us insane, and yet it can also bring us back to some semblance of balance.”
— Alberta Views
“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
“…Trofimuk’s novel has more of a political bent, drawing deft parallels between past and present: the Spanish Inquisition and the War on Terror, the New World Order (post 9-11), and the mapping of the unknown seas and the unknown self. Trofimuk delves even deeper into the uncharted waters of the mind, asking the reader to judge which is ultimately more important: the truth of the teller or the truth of the tale. It’s a tribute to the talents of the teller of this tale that the story of the delusional Columbus is so compelling that, like Consuela, the reader will fall hopelessly in love with him and wish to join him in his fantasy forever. Unfortunately novels, like fantasies, must end, and the ending of this story will amaze you, proving that the heart and the mind are still terra incognita.”
— New Trail (The University of Alberta Alumni Magazine — winter 2010)
“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)
“I was hooked instantly by the title. Original, thought-provoking, quirky… The striking, shifting relationship between nurse and patient, the keeper and the kept, if you like, is interesting and complex. The nurse ultimately looks inward at her own personal life, perhaps questions the choices that she’s made so far. The ending is excellent. Unexpected. Original. Thought-provoking and contemporary. We can all relate to it….Trofimuk’s writing is elegant and eloquent. Immediately I ‘felt’ for this demented man. I could almost feel his frustration, his searing pain, throughout the book. It really is a universal story about the human spirit. About how we all cope – or don’t cope with life’s major ups and downs. For me, it’s an uplifting book. You may find this a strange thing for me to say but you may very well agree after you have read this book it also almost brought me to tears in places…The back cover suggests this book is similar to The Lovely Bones and The Time Traveler’s Wife. I’ve read both books and, for me, Waiting for Columbus is my definite favourite. It’s almost a haunting book.”
— Thebookbag.co.uk
“I recently bought an mp3 download of Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk…I listened and I have to tell you that just listening had the ‘can’t put it down’ affect on me. At one point in the book I couldn’t turn off my mp3 player. I just couldn’t. And at another point, I lost it. I broke down and sobbed…This book tells the story of a patient in a mental hospital who believes he is Columbus. He weaves his stories of acquiring his ships for his great voyage and as he does, the truth about who he is, why he is there slowly but exquisitely unravels…This book is absolutely beautiful with a capital B. Trofimuk dances with words the way Astaire dances with feet. Riddled with humor, sexual tension, mystery and tender feeling, this gets my vote for one of the best books of 2009. I loved it so much that I plan on buying the hard cover because something that moving has to sit on my shelf. And I plan to read it, and maybe re-read it.”
— The Brown Book Project (http://brownbookproject.blogspot.com/)
“Christopher Columbus, institutionalized in an insane asylum in contemporary Spain, is sedated, isolated, and wishing for his cell phone so he can call the queen to check on his ships. In this back-and-forth between past and present, delusion and reality, the reader is swept into Columbus’ world and empathizes with Nurse Consuela, whose friendship with her patient draws her into feelings she struggles to control. I loved the history — and the mystery — of Waiting for Columbus.”
From Indie Pick List (September 2009)
— Cheryl McKeon, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA
“When a man is fished out of the treacherous Straight of Gibraltar claiming to be Christopher Columbus, Consuela, a nurse at the psychiatric hospital In Seville where he is taken, sets out to find the real identify of the mysterious patient. With her life stagnating and a lack-luster love life, Consuela sees real possibilities in the handsome but delusional man. The narrative slides uncannily between past and present in this riveting story that one critic called “a wonderful, mad mongrel of a book.” Trofimuk, a Canadian-based writer, editor, and communications consultant, provides an insightful glimpse into how we cope with untenable loss in a smart, immensely satisfying plot that is simply amazing.”
— Tucson Citizen
“An unknown man is brought to a mental hospital in modern-day Spain claiming to be Christopher Columbus. The staff knows he’s not Columbus, but who is he? He starts telling his story to Nurse Consuela – the story of how he labored to obtain three ships from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to sail to the new world. Very soon Consuela is wrapped up in his stories of women, romance, sex, intrigue, navigation and 16th century politics. While the hospital doctors want him to finish up his story and reveal his true identity, Consuela finds herself wishing the stories and her time with Columbus wouldn’t have to end…As this story progressed I found myself agreeing with Consuela – we know he’s not really Columbus, but his stories are so ethereally beautiful I didn’t want them to end. I kept looking forward to sitting down and immersing myself in the fake Columbus’s world. And then I’d begin to wonder: does he need to know who he really is if he has such a rich life in his mind? Why uncover a true identity that could be too painful to live with? The reader will start questioning whether living in reality is really always necessary. Why court sadness in an already difficult world? This book has wonderful plot and pacing and will captivate you with the way it honors love and the human spirit.”
— BearPondBooks.com
— A reader from the Amazon Vine Review program
“Trofimuk skillfully weaves the two threads together, but it is Columbus’s that dominates. Like Scheherazade, he captures the reader’s heart—and the lonely Consuela’s—with the gradual unfolding of his alter ego’s efforts to get the necessary backing to sail across the vast unknown…Odd details appear and reappear in the story as he gets closer and closer to achieving his goal. When he does, Consuela realizes, he’ll finally remember who he is. The conclusion, which makes sense out of madness, is simply stunning.”
— Cathy Jett, Federicksberg.com
“This captivating story recounts one man’s journey through love, loss and mental illness. It’s a memorable, unique tale of grief and how a shattered man can attempt to plummet over the edge of the Earth, only to find that a lifeline made of hope still tethers him to reality. Waiting for Columbus is a captivating discovery.”
— Lindsey Losnedahl, Las Vegas Review