336 pages

About the Author
Kanako Nishi
Born in 1977 in Tehran, Iran, and raised in Osaka, Japan. She was awarded the Naoki Prize for her novel Saraba!.

It was with my left foot that I first stepped into this world.
Ayumu Akutsu was born in a hospital in Iran, where his father had been posted for work abroad. Later, forced to return to Japan due to the Iranian Revolution, Ayumu begins a new life in Osaka with his parents and his troublesome older sister. While Ayumu quickly fits in at nursery and primary school, his sister becomes increasingly isolated, earning the nickname “the sacred tree.”

Before long, the father receives a new overseas assignment—this time to Egypt. The family moves into a luxurious flat complete with a maid. There are pyramids to see for the first time, and Ayumu is enrolled in a Japanese school. One day, he meets an Egyptian boy named Yakoub, and a new chapter of his life begins.