Have You Seen Luis Velez?

Have You Seen Luis Velez, published in 2019, is one of almost four dozen books by bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde. Hyde relates the story of biracial teenager Raymond Jaffe, whose chance encounter with Millie Gutermann, a blind, 92-year-old widow, compels him to search for Luis Velez, Millie’s suddenly absent caretaker. The search and its consequences evolve into a cascade of changes for Raymond and those around him. This young adult novel is set in present-day New York City, where Hyde spent a portion of her youth.

In the novel, Hyde focuses on how ordinary individuals face transformative difficulties. Summarized here is the 2019 Lake Union paperback version of the book. While there is no graphic violence or sexuality in the book, there is a courtroom description of a fatal shooting. Casual, adult use of liquor is described.

Plot Summary

As 16-year-old Raymond Jaffe leaves his New York City apartment on his way to school, an elderly woman asks if he has seen Luis Velez. Raymond, who has never heard of Luis, introduces himself as “Raymond from the fourth floor.” He sees the woman standing in the hallway again after school. He learns that Luis had been her caretaker for four years before disappearing. The woman, 92 years old, is almost completely blind.

Raymond returns to the woman’s apartment the next morning. He discovers that, in the 17 days since Luis disappeared, she has not been able to get food. He offers to walk her to her bank and the grocery store. During their walk and in her apartment afterward, Raymond learns she is a widow named Mildred “Millie” Gutermann, whom Raymond calls “Mrs. G.” Raymond decides, without telling Millie, that he will find Luis.

Raymond climbs into the basement of an abandoned building to feed a stray cat he has befriended. He encounters another student from his school, who is also seeking the cat. Realizing the other boy intends to mistreat it, he fools the boy into thinking the cat ran away. Raymond takes the cat to Millie’s apartment. Millie adopts the cat and names it Louise.

Gathering what little information he can from Millie, Raymond tries to locate the missing Luis. He talks the school librarian into loaning him a Spanish/English dictionary and makes a list of the 21 people named Luis Velez in the New York City phone book. Raymond decides to approach each one personally until he finds the proper Luis. The first Luis he successfully contacts is not the right one; this Luis escorts Raymond out of the frightening part of town where they meet.

Raymond’s relationship with Millie deepens as his caretaking work for her grows in regularity. They enjoy one another’s company and have serious conversations, particularly about human behavior.

The second Luis that Raymond encounters is a civil litigator living in an expensive high-rise apartment. After some initial confusion about why Raymond is there, the attorney expresses appreciation, giving Raymond his business card and secretly slipping a $100 bill into Raymond’s pocket.

Raymond asks Millie if she thinks a boy who is not sexually attracted to either girls or boys is abnormal. She tells him that the term “normal” simply implies what is natural for each individual. Millie advises him to use his computer skills to investigate what it means to be asexual. She says that the investigation of one’s fears tends to diffuse their ability to cause anxiety.

Searching diligently, Raymond encounters two more men named Luis Velez, though neither is Millie’s caretaker. His search leads to an apartment filled with people. He asks to speak to Luis Velez. Sofia, Luis’s wife, assumes Raymond is a co-worker and invites him in for supper. The family welcomes Raymond and, after hearing his story, bestows on him a medallion picturing Saint Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes.

Raymond locates a fifth Luis who informs him that the person he likely seeks died about a month before. Luis, the deceased, saw a woman drop her billfold on the street. When he tried to return it to her, she shot him, then told bystanders she thought he was a robber. With the assistance of a neighbor, Raymond calls Luis’s widow, Isabel. She calls him back at his home, telling him she wants to visit Millie, whom she heard much about but never met. Raymond waits for Isabel, who is expecting her third child, in front of his apartment and takes her to Millie’s door. When he introduces her, Millie realizes Luis must be dead. The three stand together crying. Isabel tells Millie that Raymond searched and found her. She says the woman who shot Luis will stand trial for voluntary manslaughter.

After Millie learns about Luis’s death, she withdraws, eating little and lying constantly in her bed. Raymond fears for her wellbeing. He grows very intentional in visiting Millie and asks her to eat and travel outside the apartment. He and Isabel email each other frequently about Millie.

The second part of the narrative begins. Raymond lives with his mother and stepfather. During a weekend visit, he asks his father to write a note to his school asking permission for Raymond to attend the trial of Ms. Hatfield, who shot Luis. His father asks why Raymond has not explained this to his mother and asked her permission. Raymond meets with the principal, who will only give Raymond permission to attend the trial if his mother requests it.

Throughout his interaction with Millie and search for Luis, Raymond does not tell his mother or stepfather that he is helping Millie or how he searched for Luis and found Isabel. While taking Millie to the bank, Raymond bumps into his mother and introduces her to Millie. Afterward, Raymond explains to Millie that he never told his mother about her because his mother would not understand their friendship. Millie tells him he must work on his relationship with his mother. That evening, Raymond’s mother demands to know why he has been secretly helping Millie for six months. Over a series of brief conversations, Raymond says how estranged and discounted he feels. With their feelings in the open for the first time, Raymond’s mother gives him permission to attend Ms. Hatfield’s trial.

On the first day of the trial, Raymond takes Millie to court, where they meet Isabel. He brings his laptop to write a report for school. Isabel goes into labor and Raymond accompanies her to the hospital. She tells him Luis came to her in a dream and asked her to name the baby after Raymond, which they decide to change to Ramon, the Spanish version of the name. During the three-day trial, the lawyers argue about whether Ms. Hatfield was justified in shooting Luis because she felt threatened. The main characters are all surprised when the jury returns a quick verdict of “not guilty.”

After the trial, Raymond hands his report to two different teachers, neither knowing the other has seen it. The social studies teacher gives the paper a C-minus because Raymond characterizes the jury’s decision as being based on their prejudices. The English teacher gives Raymond an A-plus for his mature insights into the true workings of the criminal justice system.

Millie falls into a depression. Concerned, Raymond consults several people about how to help. He arranges a meal at the home of Luis and Sofia, the large family that gave him the Saint Jude medal. The family is welcoming, lifting Millie’s spirits. Raymond contacts Luis the attorney, who agrees to represent Isabel in a civil liability suit against Ms. Hatfield. Raymond takes Millie to hear a street busker play cello music. The three of them reflect about the beauty of music, the way that it can express profound joy and deep sadness simultaneously. Sofia’s family holds a block party at which 80 people appear to raise money for Isabel and welcome her, Millie, and Raymond into their community.