The Waves Take You Home

A Novel

By: María Alejandra Barrios Vélez

Narrated by: Krysta Gonzales

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

“A deftly crafted and compelling read from start to finish…” —Midwest Book Review

Wish this would be a movie

I loved this story. The details transports you to Barranquilla. Predictable but beautifully written and narrated.

La Cultura isn’t Lost

This was such a great book of how generations of love and lost isn’t gone.

Amor Antes Que Miedo 😭🫶🏽

Beautiful story! So well read, it gave me chills. Survival, love, new beginnings, grief. So many layers.

Gripping hear felt listen!

What an absolutely amazing novel of family ties and deep love and knowing where you come come from. This definitely will not be my last novel by this very talented writer! 😍

Great Spanish accented Narration lovely voice

I feel like I had a vacation to Barranquilla Columbia! So a lovely story and delicious food! Muy buen hecho!