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. ( )

http://coyotewandering.wordpress.com/... ( )

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...... ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )