The Waves Take You Home

A Novel

By: María Alejandra Barrios Vélez

Narrated by: Krysta Gonzales

Length: 13 hrs

Publisher's summary

In this heartfelt story about how the places we run from hold the answers to our deepest challenges, the death of her grandmother brings a young woman home, where she must face the past in order to become the heir of not just the family restaurant, but her own destiny.

Violeta Sanoguera had always done what she was told. She left the man she loved in Colombia in pursuit of a better life for herself and because her mother and grandmother didn’t approve of him. Chasing dreams of education and art in New York City, and with a new love, twenty-eight-year-old Violeta establishes a new life for herself, on her terms. But when her grandmother suddenly dies, everything changes.

After years of being on her own in NYC, Violeta finds herself on a plane back to Colombia, accompanied at all times by the ghost of her grandmother who is sending her messages and signs, to find she is the heir of the failing family restaurant, the very one Abuela told her to run from in the first place. The journey leads her to rediscover her home, her grandmother, and even the flame of an old love.

©2024 María Alejandra Barrios Vélez (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Barrios Veléz offers a heartfelt and deeply personal debut novel…The Waves Take You Home is a beautiful homage to the values, traditions, and way of life of a small town and its families in Colombia.”—Booklist

“Foodies will delight in the mouthwatering details of paella, pineapple upside-down rum cake, caramel flan, and sweet red wine in a charming novel.”—Library Journal

“This debut novel is immersive, deeply descriptive, and entirely transportive…if you want hope and self-empowerment in the face of familial pressure to revive a crumbling family restaurant (including from the ghost of your late grandmother), this one will feel like a gasp followed by a hug. It’s an ode to choosing yourself, honoring who came before you, and glorious, healing food. For fans of Vida and Gabriel García Márquez.”—Chicago Review of Books

A beautiful adventure

The Waves That Take You Home is a fantastic and lovely adventure that I found impossible to stop listening to. It chronicles the life and self discovery of Vi, a universally relatable character who bravely faces the lifelong debates we all go through. How dreams of our parents become our own, how their values become ours, and how we discover and pursue our own dreams while struggling to stay true to the values we came from.

Anyone lucky enough to come upon this book will see the through the eyes of likeable young first generation immigrant who travels from the beaches of Colombia to the bustle of NYC and back. Vi's character and emotions are written with great depth that it would seem could only be written by someone who has lived her adventure. Beautifully written in a light fast paced fun voice while grappling with profound truths and emotion.

Barrios is a rare talent to create a fun yet meaningful vacation book that inspires reflection long after it's over. Also helps that the reader is great, perfectly brings Barrios's characters to life. Listen to this book, you won't regret it.

Repetitive

The protagonist’s constant indecision annoying. The story was too repetitive and the outcome predictable. I would have rather more depth into the grandmother’s life. She was the most interesting character in the story.