In the Sea There Are Crocodiles

A frank, revealing and clear-eyed testament of the experiences faced by a young asylum-seeker in the contemporary world – Diane Samuels * Guardian *
A moving and eye-opening account chronicles hardships no child should have to endure, mitigated by intermittent kindnesses * Sunday Times *
A beautifully written and moving book * Choice *
This little gem, beautifully and unobtrusively translated, will raise tears of sorrow and joy * Independent *
The threat of arrest and deportation is constant, with worse to fear at the hands of traffickers… A remarkable story * Financial Times *
The personal stories of refugees and their life-or-death battles are usually lost in between the lines of news reports. In direct and undecorated prose, Fabio Geda beautifully delivers the human experience of Enaiatollah, a ten-year-old Afghani boy, whose will for survival is more than remarkable. In the Sea There Are Crocodiles will make you laugh and cry, and it will also make you a better person. Everyone should read this book – Marina Nemat, author of ‘Prisoner of Tehran’
If anything, this book is more chilling than heart-warming. Though Enaiatollah survives the Iranian shooting, the man next to him is killed. After a three-day journey in the false bottom of a lorry, during which he is unable to get out even to go to the toilet, he “pee[s] blood for the next few weeks”. And though he survives the journey across the Aegean in an inflatable dinghy that comes, with oars, in a box (“an Ikea flatpack for illegals”), his young companion is tossed overboard in a storm and “taken by the darkness”… What is clear from this beautiful book is that young Enaiatollah finally reaches Turin and, much to his delight… finally goes back to school. An end one might go so far as to call heart-warming * The Times *
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 * Bookbag *

Born in Turin in 1972, Fabio Geda is an Italian novelist who works with children in difficulties. He writes for several Italian magazines and newspapers, and teaches creative writing at the Italian school of storytelling, Scuola Holden, in Turin. This is his first book to be translated into English.

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