The sentiment that resonates through Edmonton author Thomas Trofimuk’s latest book, Waiting for Columbus, is: We all need the sense of adventure that Christopher Columbus, the great explorer who (might have) “discovered” the wilds of North America encompassed.

“Columbus does not turn away from adventure. He sails, fearless or fearfully, into the unknown. He looks toward the horizon with curiosity and wonder,” writes Trofimuk.

The novel follows “Christopher Columbus,” a man admitted into a mental hospital in Spain; although this 15th century Columbus is a little lost (by a few centuries) considering the novel takes place in modern times. The book delves into the confused psyche of this madman as he tries to work through the tangles of his mind — to unravel his obscure past and discover who he really is — with the help of his caretaker and confidant, Nurse Consuela.

Trofimuk’s novel depicts the historic path of the real Columbusst with the help of nurse consuela , but the famous moments are amalgamated with modernity and fiction as the book works its way through the mystery. During the adventure we watch as “Columbus” blunders through love, lust and confusion.

What exactly inspires one to come up with such an abstract way of expressing the complexities of grief, loss and love? Trofimuk still doesn’t know what the exact point of inspiration is.

“The man with one foot in the future and one in the past is how some historians describe Columbus [a man with one foot in the renaissance and one foot in the Middle Ages]; he was standing at the cusp of the renaissance.”

“I had the characters for a long time, I just didn’t really know how to tell the story; I guess I just had to wait around for them to tell me their story,” he says.

“I remember turning a corner in my car and saying, ‘I know how to tell this story now’ and so I phoned my wife and said ‘Write down everything I’m going to say.’”

Waiting for Columbus is Trofimuk’s third book. His first novel, The 52nd Poem, won various awards, and his second, Doubting Yourself to the Bone, was a bestseller. Although the books seem quite different, they are interconnected in their exploration of love and grief.

“One of the reasons I write is to make sense of the world; I still don’t know what women want and I don’t think I ever will; that keeps me going,” says Trofimuk. “I am fascinated by how we meet our others, so that’s definitely part of it. They all also deal with different aspects of the grieving process.”

“In a bigger context it’s just about life; we acquire things and then we lose them,” he says.

Trofimuk’s literary beginning isn’t a less interesting tale. He was a journalism student who wanted to become a creative writer and couldn’t make the transition. Trofimuk was sitting with a professor after class one day, sharing a few drinks and brooding about his dream to become a writer when the professor bluntly said, “Well what do writers do?”

“They write,” responded Trofimuk.

“Well, you want to be a writer then act like a writer,” she shot back.

The next morning, he was a writer.

Trofimuk also plays in the band the Raving Poets, a group that creates improv music to accompany poetry readings. He also writes his own poetry, and is a proud father and husband (he gushes while describing his wife and daughter).

After reading this latest slice of fiction, Trofimuk hopes readers get a sense “that Columbus’s spirit is something we do need to carry away with us. We need to be aware of it so that we’re not so afraid that we don’t take chances, we don’t take risks and we don’t embark on adventures.”