In the Sea There Are Crocodiles

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 13 JUN. 2011

Based on the true story of Enaiatollah Akbari, a young boy whose agonizing struggle begins after his native Afghanistan becomes a dangerous place to live, Geda's novel is his first book to be translated into English. Enaiat is 10 years old when his mother takes him from their village into Pakistan, leaving her other children behind. She shepherds her eldest son to presumed safety while imparting three tenets for adulthood: don't use drugs, don't use weapons, and don't cheat or steal. She leaves him during the night and when he realizes she's gone and he's alone, he finds a series of jobs and transient shelters while trying to figure out which country might provide him with the chance to survive. He crosses into Iran, only to be to repatriated to Afghanistan under harsh conditions. His treacherous existence is filled with touching moments of accomplishment, as when he's able to buy a watch. "I'd often thought about having a watch, just to give some meaning to the passage of time..." Geda includes a running dialogue between himself as author and Enaiat that gives perspective to the tale as the boy forges onward, crossing borders and leaving his childhood far behind. The book is simply written, and strangely distant emotionally, but gives a face to the refugees who face daunting odds to get to the West.