Fátima Vélez On The Origins Of Her Transportive New Novel
In Fátima Vélez’s gorgeous debut novel, Lorenzo is a brilliant painter who has temporarily stopped painting in favor of more quotidian pastimes. He lolls about in his partner’s bed, watching French films and corresponding with old lovers. His idyllic lifestyle comes to a halt, however, when one day his fingernail falls out of his nail bed. When more fingernails follow suit, Lorenzo decides to hit the road. He embarks on a journey that will take him to the streets of Paris, a farm in the French countryside, and ultimately a ship bound for the Galapagos Islands. On the ship with friends and lovers, many of whom are also succumbing to the same unnamed illness, Lorenzo attacks life ferociously, reveling in stories from the past and incredible food and drink. Based in part on the life of artist Lorenzo Jaramillo, Galapagos is a vibrant exploration of creativity, sexuality, friendship, mortality. In its starred review, Publishers Weekly wrote, “Vélez stuns with her corporeal descriptions and baroque literary allusions. This is a knockout.”
