In The Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda
| In The Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Louise Laurie
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| Summary: In The Sea There Are Crocoiles is based on a true story about a young boy left by his mother to fend for himself. As if that wasn't difficult enough, he's stranded in Pakistan while the rest of his family are in war-ravaged Afghanistan. The story alone is superb, add in Enaiatollah's engaging prose and this books sings on the page. Highly recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 224 | Date: July 2011 |
| Publisher: David Fickling | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0857560087 | |
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In The Sea There Are Crocoiles is based on a true story about a young boy left by his mother to fend for himself. As if that wasn't difficult enough, he's stranded in Pakistan while the rest of his family are in war-ravaged Afghanistan. It's a collaboration between Afghan Enaiatollah and his Italian translator, Fabio - this book is already a big hit with Italian readers (it says so on the back cover blurb). Enaiatollah eventually claimed political asylum in Italy. Before I'd even read a single word, I was intrigued and just a little bit captivated: the title is glorious, the front cover graphics are spot-on and then the true life angle is always irresistible to me. In fact, I read the whole book over a single day and night; it's a slim-ish volume though.
The story opens with Enaiatollah and his mother after an arduous and dangerous journey fleeting from their homeland of Afghanistan. Geda spares us no details. They've only been in Pakistan for three days but the feeling of being found-out is palpable. Enaiatollah's mother now decides to cover herself from head to toe in a burqa and in her son's childishly innocent words we learn that, She lifted a flap of the garment, and I slipped between her legs, and under the blue fabric. It was like diving into a swimming pool, and I held my breath, even though I wasn't swimming. The conversations between Enaiatollah and his brave mother are endearing and it's clear that she loves her son very much indeed. So why leave? The boy doesn't even speak the local language so how can he be expected to cope. We're told that she leaves under cover of darkness and when Enaiatollah wakes the next morning, he's distraught to find his lovely mother gone. Where has she disappeared to? And she didn't even say goodbye ...
As the young Enaiatollah embarks on this new episode of his life, in between times he tells us all about his homeland and his life back in Afghanistan. Some stories are actually positive where Enaiatollah is able to say that he ... smiled with all the teeth I could find in my mouth. How adorable is that line? On the negative, he tells us snippets about the cruelty of the Taliban, for example, and about how he loved to go to school, till the teacher was shot dead in front of all the pupils. The school was then closed permanently. In Enaiatollah's honest words, it truly makes for engrossing and poignant reading. I defy anyone not to be moved at some stage of his story.
But Enaiatollah is not the only unfortunate orphan left to fend for himself in Pakistan. There are many, many youngsters his age and younger, having to scrabble in the dirt for scraps of food, look for a (hopefully) safe corner somewhere to sleep for the night. The bright, brave and resourceful Enaiatollah soon learns a smattering of the local language and then he gets a job where he is paid. Things are looking a little better. He's not yet eleven years of age.
And things get even better for Enaiatollah. He's a good worker and he's also intelligent. There are still plenty of setbacks along the way but he doesn't let them get him down. He's always thinking ahead. One day he hears on the grapevine that there are better jobs to be had with even better wages and better working conditions. They just happen to be in other countries. And so begins Enaitollah's journey which ends in Italy. But much happens in between. His escapades are duly documented in the same charming style as the rest of the book. I think it's jaw-dropping what Enaiatollah manages to achieve and even his friends are impressed. Not all of them are so fortunate.
A journey of true grit and determination for one so young in years. The story alone is superb; add in Enaiatollah's engaging prose and this books sings on the page. Highly recommended.
My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.
If you enjoyed In The Sea There Are Crocodiles, you'll also love Afghan Silk by Julia Scott.
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You can read more book reviews or buy In The Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy In The Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda at Amazon.com.
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