Waiting for Columbus

In this captivating novel, a man who believes that he is Christopher Columbus looks into a tow-way mirror in a contemporary Spanish mental institution and says: "It's time, Nurse Consuela, that you knew the story of how I got my boats." As Consuela listens, she tries to find some clue in this cultured, educated man's fantastical tales of romance and adventure in the 15th century that will explain what caused him to break so completely from reality. This Columbus is not heroic: he falls in love with every woman he meets; on land, he has absolutely no sense of direction. He wagers his cherished dream of sailing across the Western Sea on a voyage of discovery on a single game of billiards with the King of Spain—and almost loses everything. Worst of all, he knows that something dreadful is about to happen, a terrible tragedy he will not be able to prevent. With each new episode, Consuela draws closer to this lost navigator—and more fearful of what the end of his story will mean for them both. Woven eloquently with the voices of Columbus and Consuela is that of a French Interpol officer who is scouring Spain for a mysterious Person of Interest. As these three lives draw closer together, more than one mystery will be unveiled. Waiting for Columbus is a vidily imagined, emotionally rich novel about the fragility of the heart and the resilience of the spirit; a masterful exploration of love, loss, and hope by a writer at the height of his powers.