Fabio Geda

"Facts are important, the story is important. It's what happens to you that changes your life, not where or who with."

This was a very moving story that follows Enaiatollah Akbari, an Afghani boy who at around ten years old (dates of birth are no registered in his village so he is unsure of his exact age) is whisked away from his home and siblings by his mother and taken to Quetta, Pakistan. After a few days staying in a sort of human warehouse he wakes up to find himself alone. Harassed by the police with threats of repatriation to his homeland Enaiatollah embarks on a perilous journey to Europe and asylum. Along the way Enaiatollah is shown touches of kindness but these are rare and he is generally exploited by those around him.

He tells us about sleeping on the streets, crossing freezing mountains, working on building sites and in a dangerous stone factory, sailing across the sea on a tiny dingy, losing friends, before reaching Italy where he finds stability with a foster family.

The book is basically written in interview style, where the author of the is recording Enaiatollah's story. He occasionally interjects with a question or comment, but for the most part, it is Enaiatollah just talking. Although perhaps not to everyone's taste this is an interesting way to convey the story, simultaneously very personal yet distant.

It was heart-breaking to read about all of the things that Enaiatollah and many other children went through. I cannot fathom how dire a situation would be for a mother to sneak her child to another country and then just abandon him there. He harbours no ill feelings toward his mother, just said that was probably for the best.

The book is very short and a quick read. However, this brevity is also a downside to this book as at times the details are a bit sketchy and in need of fleshing out. For example, whilst I realise that Enaiatollah was only 10 when he left Afghanistan I would still have liked to hear some background about the way that the Hazares are treated there, as such he comes across more as an economic migrant rather than one escaping persecution. Whilst the author does a great job of portraying one boy’s escape and survival I'm not convinced that it really adds much to the debate which is exercising most of the world in one way or other around this very contentious topic .… (lisätietoja)