"Vivid . . . forthright and witty. . . . [Lively] turns her hand to autobiography with the same depth of feeling and meaning that characterizes her fiction."-- "New York Times Book Review""The vivid confusions of childhood and the shadings that come with retrospect are seemingly blended."-- Merle Rubin, "Wall Street Journal""A quite stunning mediation on the archaeology of memory and time's predations."-- "Kirkus Review" (starred review)

This autobiography is about growing up in Egypt. It is also an investigation into childhood perception in which the author uses herself and her memories as an insight into how children see and know. It is a look at Eygpt up to, and including, World War II from a small girl's point of view, which is also, ultimately, a moving and rather sad picture of an isolated and lonely little girl.