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Crocodilopolis: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 25 Aug 26From the author of national bestseller Where There Was Fire, a sweeping sophomore novel of sibling rivalry set against the backdrop of a socially volatile 1970s and 80s Costa Rica.
Seth Oreamundo dreams of vengeance. For the past ten years, he's been exiled in D.C., prohibited from returning home to Costa Rica, where he was once a high-ranking government official but now is disgraced and despised. Osario Oreamundo, his younger brother, is to blame. When a macabre nature show about a crocodile that unexpectedly and viciously attacked a cast member reminds Seth of a childhood memory he's all but erased, Seth hatches a plan-one that involves a crocodile infested-river-to return to his rightful place among Costa Rica's elite.
Alternating between Seth's wily murder plot and the boys' privileged upbringing on a sprawling coffee estate in politically fraught 1970's and 80's Costa Rica, Crocodilopolis is an engaging exploration of archetypes (the exiled prince, sibling rivalry, and the anti-hero) that questions whether people have the power to escape the roles they are cast into at birth.
A darkly witty, biblical, and soapy tale of a “royal” Costa Rican family, Crocodilopolis masterfully interrogates power, destiny, and legacy in this sophomore novel from a literary star on the rise.
Seth Oreamundo dreams of vengeance. For the past ten years, he's been exiled in D.C., prohibited from returning home to Costa Rica, where he was once a high-ranking government official but now is disgraced and despised. Osario Oreamundo, his younger brother, is to blame. When a macabre nature show about a crocodile that unexpectedly and viciously attacked a cast member reminds Seth of a childhood memory he's all but erased, Seth hatches a plan-one that involves a crocodile infested-river-to return to his rightful place among Costa Rica's elite.
Alternating between Seth's wily murder plot and the boys' privileged upbringing on a sprawling coffee estate in politically fraught 1970's and 80's Costa Rica, Crocodilopolis is an engaging exploration of archetypes (the exiled prince, sibling rivalry, and the anti-hero) that questions whether people have the power to escape the roles they are cast into at birth.
A darkly witty, biblical, and soapy tale of a “royal” Costa Rican family, Crocodilopolis masterfully interrogates power, destiny, and legacy in this sophomore novel from a literary star on the rise.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication August 25, 2026
72 people want to read
About the author
John Manuel Arias
4 books67 followersJohn Manuel Arias is the National Bestselling author of Where There Was Fire, named a Best Debut by Apple Books and a Finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize. A Canto Mundo fellow & an alumnus of the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop, his prose and poetry have been published in Harper's Bazaar, Electric Lit, The Kenyon Review, and PANK. He has lived in Washington D.C., Brooklyn New York, and in San José, Costa Rica with his grandmother and four ghosts.
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Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Huge thanks to my friends at Macmillan/Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me a very very early advance copy of this book. Please keep in mind that any quotes I share are under spoiler tags and may change once the book is officially published.
Crocodilopolis is a dark, slow-burning novel about power, family, and the kind of resentment that never truly disappears. At its core are two brothers bound by privilege and betrayal, their lives shaped by corruption, political ambition, and a devastating family secret. The story moves between past and present, steadily building a tense emotional landscape where love and cruelty exist side by side, and where revenge feels both inevitable and deeply unsettling.
I’m Costa Rican, born and raised, and I grew up with the political and social history that informs this novel. I’ve lived through environmental movements, political shifts, and conversations about equality that echo throughout these pages. I was raised in Orotina, just fifteen minutes from the Tárcoles River. I’ve seen crocodiles up close, fed live chickens for spectacle, and witnessed the brutal efficiency of their death roll. Because of that, reading this book felt strangely personal, almost inevitable, as if these images and histories were always meant to collide on the page.
Setting aside my obvious emotional connection, what truly makes this novel compelling isn’t just the plot but the atmosphere John Manuel Arias creates. Costa Rica feels alive, heavy, and symbolic throughout the story, especially the crocodile-infested river, which lingers like both a threat and a promise. The writing leans into myth, memory, and melodrama in a way that feels deliberate and almost hypnotic, inviting the reader to reflect on fate, masculinity, and the legacies we inherit whether we want them or not. This is a slow burn with sharp teeth, rewarding patience with a haunting and morally complex story.
John Manuel Arias’ writing is lyrical, ambitious, and richly descriptive, shaped by layered storytelling and emotional depth. I personally found it breathtaking and immersive, though I can see how some readers might find it dense or overly elaborate. If you’ve read and loved One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, this book will likely resonate deeply with you.
Crocodilopolis is a dark, slow-burning novel about power, family, and the kind of resentment that never truly disappears. At its core are two brothers bound by privilege and betrayal, their lives shaped by corruption, political ambition, and a devastating family secret. The story moves between past and present, steadily building a tense emotional landscape where love and cruelty exist side by side, and where revenge feels both inevitable and deeply unsettling.
I’m Costa Rican, born and raised, and I grew up with the political and social history that informs this novel. I’ve lived through environmental movements, political shifts, and conversations about equality that echo throughout these pages. I was raised in Orotina, just fifteen minutes from the Tárcoles River. I’ve seen crocodiles up close, fed live chickens for spectacle, and witnessed the brutal efficiency of their death roll. Because of that, reading this book felt strangely personal, almost inevitable, as if these images and histories were always meant to collide on the page.
Setting aside my obvious emotional connection, what truly makes this novel compelling isn’t just the plot but the atmosphere John Manuel Arias creates. Costa Rica feels alive, heavy, and symbolic throughout the story, especially the crocodile-infested river, which lingers like both a threat and a promise. The writing leans into myth, memory, and melodrama in a way that feels deliberate and almost hypnotic, inviting the reader to reflect on fate, masculinity, and the legacies we inherit whether we want them or not. This is a slow burn with sharp teeth, rewarding patience with a haunting and morally complex story.
John Manuel Arias’ writing is lyrical, ambitious, and richly descriptive, shaped by layered storytelling and emotional depth. I personally found it breathtaking and immersive, though I can see how some readers might find it dense or overly elaborate. If you’ve read and loved One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, this book will likely resonate deeply with you.
Displaying 1 of 1 review