Finn Cooper

In the Sea There Are Crocodiles attempts to tell the harrowing true story of Enaiatollah Akbari, a young Afghan boy who escapes the Taliban and endures a long, dangerous journey across multiple countries before finding refuge in Italy. While this premise promises emotional depth, cultural insight, and suspense, the execution of the story falls disappointingly flat. What could have been a powerful and moving account of survival ends up feeling repetitive, shallow, and strangely detached. One of the main problems with this book is its writing style. The narrative is presented as a retelling of Enaiatollah’s memories, as told to the author Fabio Geda. Unfortunately, this secondhand storytelling approach robs the book of its immediacy and authenticity. The tone often feels too polished and filtered, like a paraphrased interview rather than a vivid personal story. Instead of being immersed in Enaiatollah’s experiences, readers are left with the sense that they’re being told about them from a distance. There’s little emotional connection, even in moments that should be gut-wrenching. The pacing is another major issue. The story drags on for long stretches, especially in the middle chapters. Enaiatollah moves from Afghanistan to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, and finally Italy, but each transition starts to feel repetitive—crossing borders, finding work, getting caught, escaping again. While these are undoubtedly real challenges faced by refugees, Geda’s retelling lacks variety and emotional buildup. Every hardship is delivered in the same calm, almost monotone style, which dulls the sense of danger and makes the journey feel monotonous rather than gripping. Character development is also weak. Enaiatollah himself, while admirable in his resilience, never feels like a fully fleshed-out person. We learn very little about his thoughts, emotions, or inner conflicts. His mother, who leaves him at the beginning of the book in an act of desperate love, could have been one of the most powerful figures in the story, yet she disappears almost immediately and is never given real emotional weight. The people Enaiatollah meets along the way blend together without distinct personalities or impact, making it difficult to care about their fates. Stylistically, Geda’s prose is plain to the point of dullness. While simplicity can sometimes enhance realism, in this case it just makes the book feel lifeless. There’s very little descriptive detail to bring the settings to life—no vivid images of the Afghan mountains, the crowded cities, or the treacherous seas. Instead, the story reads like a bare-bones summary of events that could have been far more powerful with stronger writing and emotional depth. Ultimately, In the Sea There Are Crocodiles feels like a missed opportunity. The real-life story behind it is extraordinary, but the book’s detached tone, flat characters, and repetitive pacing make it difficult to engage with. Readers looking for a moving refugee memoir would be better off with books like The Kite Runner or The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which deliver far more emotional resonance and literary quality.