In the Sea There are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda

[TravellingBirdy]

I am fascinated by stories of people who risked life and limb to come to a new country, and where they try hard to lose themselves and become part of the fabric. Fabio Geda’s In the Sea There are Crocodiles tells one such story. Enaiatollah Akbari is from Afghanistan and he meets Italian novelist Fabio at a book presentation in Italy. They get talking and Fabio is captivated by Enaiatollah’s five-year journey from Afghanistan to Italy.

Told in Ena’s matter-of-fact voice, In the Sea There are Crocodiles has the story of humanity at its heart. Ena faces corruption, danger, and exploitation everywhere he goes. But, like diamonds in the dust, there is also kindness and friendship that he finds in unexpected places. When he is running away from the police in Greece he hides in the corner of a garden attached to a house and falls asleep. He is awoken by a lady who clothes and feeds him, and even gives him 50 euros. It’s this serendipitous largesse, coupled with incredible luck that keeps him going. Like the time when Ena and his two friends stop at a petrol pump and annoyed with their whining, he enters a public telephone booth and pretends to make a call. The next minute, a police car arrives and his friends are caught.

Interspersed seamlessly with Ena’s retelling are conversations between him and Fabio, which form very interesting asides. Fabio as the author is curious and seeks answers while Ena the raconteur is focused on facts and experiences.

“Why don’t you tell me a bit more about Afghanistan before we go on?
… I don’t want to talk about people, I don’t want to talk about places. They aren’t important.
Why?
Facts are important. The story is important. It’s what happens to you that changes your life, not where or who with.”

Ena’s story is really the stuff of adventurous picaresque fiction. Except that it’s very real and Ena’s sometimes temerarious decisions are what keep him alive. His story belongs right there with movies like The Good Lie, and books like What is the What by Dave Eggers in portraying the determination, grit, and harrowing experiences of its characters. Definitely, a book that must be read.