After opening the door to the darkest corners of women’s experiences and social wounds with her novel “The Women Upstairs“, Majda Tometić once again shows her courage and literary skill in speaking out about a difficult, sensitive and often misunderstood topic – young people struggling with gender dysphoria. But that’s just the beginning. Reading and getting to know the other characters, it becomes clear to us that the novel is not just about those trapped in a body that they don’t feel like their own, but is the voice of all the “crocodiles” of today – all people who feel painful, unaccepted or misunderstood in their own skin. The message is universal: persevere in yourself, even when society “does not know what it sees, and what it sees it does not want to see?”

Klara and Srna – stories of girls in “wrong skin”

At the center of the novel are two girls – Klara and Srna – trapped in a body that they do not feel like their own. Their everyday lives are shaped by the feeling of being in the wrong shoes, and the internal struggle between what they feel and what society expects becomes a space in which the author explores the fragility of identity, but also the strength of the human desire to be who we truly are without begging for love and acceptance.

Parental love, rejection and the price of non-acceptance

We read the characters and experience their intimate world, but interaction with other, secondary characters is key to understanding the social and temporal context in which Klara and Srna live. Klara is a modern young person, and Srna wears her skin at the very beginning of the 20th century. Both stories are connected by the same root: families who initially reject the wishes and needs of their children because the new situation does not fit into their image of the children they want.

But the difference is crucial – Klara’s parents, although with resistance, at one point realize that their child is more important than the opinions of their environment. Srna’s family fails to do this, and the price is too high. With this contrast, Majda makes us think: Where are we as a society today?

Have we really moved away from Srna’s time or are we still living her stories – just in a more modern setting? Are the advances in science, modern psychiatric approaches enough? Secondary characters like Adam, Tjasha and their fates scream no, it’s not enough. Even today, unfortunately, there are numerous “Srnina’s” fates, families and individuals who pay too high a price for non-acceptance. Tometić offers us two scenarios – one scenario shows where rejection leads and the other that shows the power of acceptance. And it is up to us to choose whether we want to be a society that kills diversity or a society that embraces someone else’s “crocodile skin” and gives space to the individual to manifest their self.

It is interesting how the author uses the symbolism of the moment when Klara realizes that she is not alone – in the doctor’s office in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. A pandemic that has overshadowed many other social problems, and perhaps even concealed even more dangerous ones. Because in parallel with it, a quieter, more insidious pandemic is taking place – a pandemic of alienation and “crocodile skin”, a disorder of today that is taking on global proportions.

Intertextuality – Majda Tometić’s literary connections

Furthermore, what we especially like about Tometić’s writing style is intertextuality. The characters of “The Women Upstairs” deal with personal dramas, but the author gradually dresses them in layers of literary tradition. Each part of the novel begins with a quote from classical literature, and the characters bear the names of literary heroines. This procedure serves not only as a stylistic spice, but as an invitation to deeper reading, searching for connections between past literary characters and today’s problems.

In the new novel “Under the Crocodile’s Skin”, a challenge awaits us on the first page – Srna, a character from Dinko Šimunović’s short story, is reinterpreted in the game of desire: Srna passes under the rainbow and wants to be a son. Intertextuality becomes the fundamental strategy here: the author invites the reader to reflect on the continuity of marginalized experiences, placing Srna not as an archetype from the past, but as a symbol of all those who wear “wrong skin”. Sending the message that contemporary “crocodiles” – confused, unaccepted, wounded – are not alone, and that the greatness of a novel lies in the ability to open the door to empathy and understanding by reinterpreting an old story.

Why is it worth reading “Under the Crocodile’s Skin”?

As in her previous novel, Tometić does not offer easy solutions or superficial explanations. The author manages to explain a complex psychological and identity issue in a way that is reasonable, relatable, and, above all, deeply emotional to the reader. Her writing is honest, layered, and empathetic, opening up space for dialogue on a topic that continues to cause misunderstanding and stigma. Her words touch parents equally – because Klara and Srna can also be your children – but also the wider audience, because they can be your sisters, friends, acquaintances and your support can be exactly what will save their lives.

Majda Tometić is not an author who will offer you easy reading to escape from reality. These books are not just stories about individuals, but mirrors in which you can easily recognize our society – with all its prejudices, expectations and silences. Tometić reminds us that literature is not there to put us to sleep, but to wake us up. So read Majda Tometić – because her novels are not just literature, they are a call for empathy, understanding and change.