The novel is part of a tetralogy written by Vasconcelos and centered on different stages in the life of the protagonist, Zeze, and, by extension, Vasconcelos. The four books were published in a disorganized order, following an aleatory chronology instead of a direct one. The direct continuation of the story, Doidão, was actually published in 1963, five years before My Sweet Orange Tree, and follows the life of Zeze during his adolescence.