Ian, a young man with a fractured family history, travels from Australia to England to America in the hope of realizing his dreams and reuniting with his beloved sister. His story unfolds backwards through the framing narrative of Jim, a reporter driven to capture Ian's experiences in a novel: not simple. A story within a story, a book within a book, a tale about the search for family, for an emotional home.

Not Simple was published in English by VIZ Media under the SigIkki imprint on January 19, 2010. It was also released in Brazilian Portuguese by L&PM on May 5, 2022.