Review: Nel Mare ci sono i Coccodrilli - Fabio Geda

• Plot In the sea there are crocodiles Fabio Geda

If you were born in Afghanistan, in the wrong place and at the wrong time, it may happen that, even if you are a child as tall as a goat, and one of the best at playing Buzul-bazi, someone claims your life. Your father died working for a rich gentleman, the load of the truck he was driving was lost and you should be compensated. That's why when there's a knock on the door, you run and hide. But now you're outgrowing the hole your mother dug next to the potatoes. So, one day, she tells you that you have to go on a trip. She accompanies you to Pakistan, she strokes your hair, makes you promise that you will become a good man and leaves you alone.

From this tragic act of love began the premature adult life of Enaiatollah Akbari and the incredible journey that will take him to Italy via Iran, Turkey and Greece. An odyssey that put him in touch with the misery and nobility of men, and which, despite everything, failed to make him lose his irony or erase his formidable smile from his face.

Enaiatollah has finally found a place to stop and be his age.

• Review

When one has the habit of reading books, one always assumes that these are mainly the fruit of the writer's imagination. But not certain stories or certain realities. This is the case of "In the sea there are crocodiles", written by Fabio Geda in collaboration with Enaiatollah. And yes, Enaiatollah is the protagonist of this story. This is the story of him.

A spoken tale, a true journey into the protagonist's past that leads us to reflect on how even today some realities are so different and far from ours, almost impossible to believe. Indeed, we would think of that imagination that writers use... our Western mind would conceive it more.

More you want in the course of reading this story I found myself surprised: the protagonist is more or less my age. Between one page and another, it is impossible not to be able to make the comparison with one's childhood or adolescence. What is revealed, to think that such an effective reality exists, shocks the reader. Hunger, the fight for survival, work. Today children, at least those born and raised in the West, are used to having everything, too much. And then there are other children, who have to fight for their future, where life forces them to outgrow too fast.

It is an absolute right for a child to be master of his childhood. But it's not always like this.

It is a sacrosanct right for any man or woman to aspire to a dignified or, if you prefer, a "normal" life. But it's not always like this.

Every reader who opens the first page of this story will find a real book.

What is In the Sea There are Crocodiles about?

Talk about a journey, a real journey from Afghanistan to Italy. A pilgrimage told at times by the protagonist himself, who himself intervenes in the story.

At just 10 years old, Enaiatollah knows he wants to change his destiny. He must escape war and political, religious and racial persecution. He knows it and he does it. This attempt at change involves sacrifices, work, fear of dying. The child, now an adult, is forced to grow up immediately, to make determination and courage his best weapons.

With his journey, Enaiatollah touches Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece and Italy.

Finally, "In the sea there are crocodiles" is a sliding book, profound in its meaning. Tremendously true. A reading that addresses the difficulty of migrants, who leave their country because of the war.

As important as the topic dealt with is, F. Geda manages to weigh all the emotions, without exaggerating.

• The title metaphor

There are crocodiles in the sea. Life is like the sea and in it there are crocodiles, those problems, those difficulties and people who try to hinder us.

• The author

Fabio Geda is an Italian writer and educator, born in Turin in 1972. He has dealt especially with youth discomfort, which he has often recounted in his books.

• The Cartoon

A cartoon was also made from the story written by F. Geda, directed by Rosalba Vitellaro. The film was produced by Rai Kids and the Larcadarte company, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, with the patronage of Unicef Italia and Unhcr.

In just over 30 minutes, the story is freely inspired by what we read between the pages of the book. It is available today on RayPlay.