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Crocodilopolis

by John Manuel Arias

A family feud bound to a nation’s fate

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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    Praised by Ocean Vuong

    Praise for the novel: “a darkly intoxicating novel” and “an audacious, unforgettable book.”

AlbakiReads Editorial

A family feud bound to a nation’s fate

After falling from political power, Seth Oreamundo lives in exile in Washington, DC, and blames his younger brother Osario for his ruin. Their story begins in Costa Rica, where the brothers grew up on a coffee estate within a corrupt political dynasty. A family secret and a betrayal alter both their lives and the country’s course. The novel moves between Seth’s plans for revenge and memories of their upbringing, tying a private sibling rivalry to questions of power and national identity. Its central image—the river of crocodiles associated with the brothers’ childhood—connects Seth’s present-day return home with the history they share.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • For readers interested in family sagas shaped by political power and corruption.
  • For readers drawn to sibling rivalry, family secrets, and revenge plots.
  • For readers interested in fiction set across Costa Rica and Washington, DC.

Themes

Sibling rivalry and revengePolitical power and corruptionFamily legacyNational identity and myth

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"A darkly intoxicating novel, at once mythic and wickedly contemporary...Here is a writer in full command of his world, delivering a ferocious meditation on masculinity, legacy, and national myth through an audacious, unforgettable book." --Ocean Vuong, the New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor of Gladness and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

From the author of national bestseller Where There Was Fire comes a gripping tale of sibling rivalry, family secrets, and the fate of a nation.


Once a powerful, cold-blooded politician in Costa Rica, Seth Oreamundo is now living in exile in Washington, DC - and his younger brother Osario is to blame. Born into a corrupt political dynasty and raised on a seemingly idyllic coffee estate, the Oreamundo brothers were destined for greatness. But a dark family secret and a scandalous double crossing sent their lives into a tailspin, changing the country forever.

Osario must pay, and Seth decides the only way to do so is to return home to Costa Rica and feed his brother to the infamous river of crocodiles from their childhood. What follows is a spellbinding story of revenge alternating between Seth's murderous plans and memories of the brothers' upbringing. With the wisdom of biblical myth and the soapy wit of a telenovela, Crocodilopolis is a masterful interrogation of power, masculinity, destiny, and legacy from a literary star on the rise.

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