María Alejandra Barrios Vélez joins us this week to discuss her debut novel, The Waves Take You Home

Author Name: María Alejandra Barrios Vélez

Book Title: The Waves Take You Home

Book Genre: Book Club Fiction

Release Date: March 19, 2024

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Welcome, María! What sparked the idea for this book?

In 2020, my Abuela’s health declined, as she started to lose her battle with cancer. Due to the pandemic, I couldn’t visit Colombia and say goodbye. My worst fear had happened, and I was left with immense grief. My Abuela, and her stories, were central to my life and shaped my vision of the world. For me, she represented home and although I had left Colombia, it remained in my heart.

The idea for a novel started to take shape during that year as I reflected on how my relationship to my Abuela and her memory would live on. After she died, I was left with the idea of her as a ghost. Not in the classic sense, but she remained someone with whom I constantly spoke. I would wonder what she would do or how she would react to a situation, and sometimes I could sense her by my side. I wanted this book to embody that idea, that you always carry your ancestors with you, and even if you can’t see them, they’re still rooting for you.

I also knew in my bones I wanted this book to be inspired by the stories of the women in my family, and I wanted it to be centered around my interests and what I knew. Like Toni Morrison said, I wanted to write the book I wanted to read. So, I started writing about a family of women, food, cooking, Barranquilla and New York. This is what I knew. I also wanted to write about what scared me, and the feeling that my two lives were growing farther away from each other and the repercussions of this pull. There’s an immense amount of sacrifice with the decision of choosing one life instead of the other.

What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

I hope readers will learn about Colombia and fall in love with Vi’s story as she finds her place in the world. I haven’t read many books set on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, so I wanted to show the complexities and rhythms of life in this part of the world. 

Any words of wisdom you give your pre-published writer self (or to a new writer)?

To know that it is not a straight line. There are so many ups and downs in this line of work! But just because you’re down one moment doesn’t mean that you’ll be down forever. For me, what matters is to keep close to your heart the reasons why you write and why you want to put books out in the world. If you know your reasons, you’ll be able to keep going because you’ll know your why

Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it. 

Readers can expect more stories with Colombian protagonists, and family drama! My second novel revolves around sisters, and what happens when the youngest sister RSVPs no to the wedding of the oldest, perfectionist sister. I’m also working on a magical realism manuscript with horror elements.

Thank you, María! The Waves Take You Home is out now.

The Waves Take You Home

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.

Author bio: