Other than the above

Author's name: Ezzat Al-Qamhawi

This novel begins in one winter, and ends in another. Between the beginning and the end, chapters unfold, and Sami Yaqoub has no idea what they hold for him, despite his ability to see the future.

He had spent two months and ten days hiding in his apartment, not opening his door to anyone. But a soft knock on his door recurred at dawn day after day, forcing him to open it only to find a young boy asking him to head to "Tall al-Masakhit" to take over his grandfather's forgotten orchard. Sami was amazed by the orchard's beauty and decided never to leave that paradise, where, under the tangled trees, small houses were scattered, and only God could see what was happening inside.

The son of Garden City, whose friendship with dogs and butterflies we saw in the novel “What Sami Yaqoub Saw,” finds himself in this novel in charge of a zoo, with everything from camels to chickens. He gives each one a name, understands its feelings and temperaments, and his kind assistant, Samaan Abanoub Al-Asyuti, teaches him how to listen to the trees.

The novel's unity of existence is evident, the magical blends with the realistic, love blends with violence, and echoes of Quranic and Bible recitations and Nubian songs resonate throughout its pages.

“Unlike All That Has Been Before” is not just a novel, but a testament to Egypt’s identity and spirit, caught between a present and a past whose conflict has not yet been resolved.