#fabiogeda

Cosa ci fa Ercole, un ragazzino di quindici anni, con un fucile in mano sul tetto di un capannone? E chi è il bambino di sei anni che è con lui? E perché la polizia intima loro di scendere, di non fare fesserie?

Così inizia “Anime scalze”, il nuovo, bellissimo, romanzo di Fabio Geda che, a dieci anni esatti dal suo esordio letterario con “Per il resto del viaggio ho sparato agli indiani”, ci regala (e si regala) una storia come se ne leggono poche.

Perché non racconta solo di adolescenti (e genitori) sull’orlo del baratro, ma narra di intrecci familiari che ci scavano la storia, la nostra, quella che decide chi siamo e chi, forse, saremo.

Mentre sua sorella maggiore, una vibrantissima Asia, cerca di colmare il vuoto che l’abbandono della madre ha lasciato nelle loro vite, Ercole va alle superiori e il padre, un incolpevole ubriaco di tenera miseria, cerca lavori di fortuna sul fragilissimo filo della legalità.

Ognuno, nella famiglia di Ercole, cerca di riempire i suoi giorni e dar loro un senso come meglio riesce, in una Torino che si muove rapida dal centro alla periferia, tra tram pieni dove cercare l’amore e biciclette rubate per fuggire via.

Fabio Geda, non nuovo nel costruire storie bellissime e spietate, accompagna il lettore negli occhi di un adolescente che cerca con fatica di sopravvivere ad un destino già segnato, in cui le assenze e gli amori viaggiano nell’anima e da lì non ne escono, in quel turbinio di rincorse che è la vita.

E cosa fare quando Ercole potrebbe essere ad un passo dal ritrovare la madre che lo abbandonato quando era piccolo? Quella madre così viva nei ricordi, così sfocata nel presente?

“Anime scalze” è un libro che va letto, perché ci parla della nostra parte di cuore che ci è scomoda ma a cui non possiamo rinunciare, la nostra famiglia, qualunque essa sia, ma costantemente circondata da quei mostri che potrebbero uscire dalle fessure delle nostre camere da letto, come pensa il protagonista, e chi si danno appuntamento in cantina e chissà che faranno di noi.

This book ‘In the sea there are crocodiles’ is written by Fabio Geda and is the based on the life of a small boy called Enaiatollah, who crossed countries in the hope of finding a better life. When you first start reading you come to learn that Enaiatollah’s mother has left him, all alone in a strange and unknown place, where he must make a life of his own, throughout the book you travel with Enaiat through various countries and experience his suffering and joy with him. The book is a recall of events from Enaiatollah’s 5 years of travelling until he is finally able to settle in Italy with a new family.  

After reading the first chapter of this book I was still struggling to get into it, and I couldn’t really relate to the book. There was various words written in Enaiat’s language, which I struggled to pronounce, which slowed me down, and at the beginning I couldn’t really tell where the story was heading. As I read on it was as if pieces of a puzzle were joining together, I could see part of the bigger picture as Fabio and Enaiat reconstructed his life slowly. Although I couldn’t really relate to Enaiat’s life, I was still able to get into the book, and feel as though I too was on that journey with him, suffering with him, rejoicing with him and living the life of Enaiatollah Akbari.   

Overall I really enjoyed this book as I feel that I have learnt so much about the world, and the struggles of the less fortunate, it was a real eye-opener, and it taught me that life for refugees is so much harder than I ever could have imagined. I would definitely recommend this book to others, as I feel that everyone would take something out of reading this, especially as it is non-fiction.   

Whilst reading this book there were a few quotes that truly stuck in my mind, each for their individual reasons.   

“I was a jack of all trades”. It was when Enaiat used terms like this that made you realise it was no longer the 10 year old boy that was speaking to you, but his fully grown self. The fact that he had made it so far, had learnt so much and was ‘the jack of all trades’ showed me that no matter your circumstances, you can do anything if you are determined and hardworking. Enaiat had nothing, no family, no stability, and not much help, but he still managed to make something of himself, on his first job he didn’t know a single thing, but now he was experienced and at his young age had accomplished a lot considering all that he had gone through. This was truly inspiring, as was his perseverance throughout the book.  

“I’ve never seen the sea”. This quote taken from page 114, really helped us to understand how much Enaiat had progressed, at the age of 10 he had never seen the ocean, but within 5 years, he had crossed the seas and found himself in many different countries. This shows that there is no limit to what one can do, a small Afghan boy who had never seen the sea, crossed two countries in a simple rubber dingy. This idea made me realise that with something so small and insignificant, you can achieve your dreams. At one point, Enaiat only dreamt of being in Greece, and at another, he had made it, it wasn’t perfect, but he had achieved his goal and was where he wanted to be.   A strong reoccurrence in the book was death, which reminded me how tough life must have been for young Enaiat, but still he had faith and continued on through his journey, leaving old friends and memories behind to make new ones. 

“They’d been sitting there forever. They were frozen. They were dead.” This part of the book really opens your eyes to what life could be like. Reality doesn’t hide away for anyone, children like Enaiat are forced to face life head on, and they have no other choice.     

Finally, language played a big part in this book. At times it can be a beautiful thing, but then it can also be a barrier, a wall put between people, making life that little bit harder. “The first problem was the language”, this suggests that some of the troubles faced by Enaiat were caused by the language barrier, in Greece and Turkey for instance, he couldn’t communicate with the people. However language also help Enaiat to gain his political asylum in Italy. He talked about how a translator cannot portray the emotions of the narrator, and it is better to try and speak from your own mouth, than to have your words completely changed or lost in translation. This shows that language is such a powerful tool, and to speak more than one language is a blessing.  

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and although it was slow to start, I am glad to have read it and to have lived the story of Enaiatollah Akbari.   

"In the sea there are crocodiles" is written by Fabio Geda and tells the story of a young Afghan boy (Enaiahtollah) and his journey to Italy. This isn't a simple journey and he has to rely on luck and kindness in order to survive.    Enaiatollah's mother is a very interesting character in my opinion as I am still undecided if I agree with the way she treated Enaiatollah. On one hand she got him to relative safety from the taliban outside of Afghanistan, however she also abandoned him with only the clothes on his back. Enaiatollah managed to survive and make it to Italy in the end but I doubt that his mother believed he would be so successful. Therefore I believe his mother may have made the wrong decision, despite the okay outcome.    

The main character, Enaiatollah, is depicted by the author as a young boy who when thrown into a horrible situation, manages to overcome it. However not without witnessing horrors and death. As the reader I can tell that he has embraced his new life but hasnt forgotten Afghanistan, due to his comparisons of things to a goat, or McDonalds and baseball. I feel that this shows that he is still affected by his traumatic past despite his new life.    

Personally I really enjoyed the book and wanted to read more and more to find out what turn Enaiatollah's life would take next. The fact that Enaiatollah is a real person and that his story is true made me feel more empathetic to his plight and made the book even more enjoyable knowing it was realistic and not far fetched.    Finally I would like to talk about the theme of time within the book. Enaiatollah doesn't know his real birthday, which seems totally alien to me as today things of such importance are recorded. He also doesn't own a watch until he is older, which could show that he doesn't take time for granted but values it as a privilege.

"Como é que você pode dar amor, se não ama a sua vida?" (Enaiatollah, "Existem crocodilos no mar")

Meu marido diz que eu gosto de ler coisas para sofrer. Não é verdade. Em partes. Sim, eu costumo gostar de histórias de pessoas que passaram por momentos difíceis - doença, morte, guerra, prisão - mas meu foco não é o sofrimento em si, mas sim, o poder de superação que o ser humano tem. Esse livro representa bem essa característica. É uma história emocionante, divertida, delicada e ao mesmo tempo corajosa. Uma biografia tão envolvente que até parece ficção. Daqueles livros que você senta e lê em menos de dois dias. E se acaba de chorar no final. Não vou dar muitos detalhes sobre a história, para não perder a graça, mas o resumo seria: a história um menino afegão de 10 aos que, devido à disputas religiosas e políticas, tem que fugir da sua casa, abandonar sua família, escola, amigos, sua cidade e seu país, e passar como fugitivo imigrante em diferentes países e culturas, em busca de comida, emprego e acolhimento. Ficou curioso? Então corre pra ler. E descobrir por que "existem crocodilos no mar".