Synopsis
The Island of Missing Trees starts with teenage Ada, daughter of a Turkish Cypriot and a Greek Cypriot, trying to deal with her mother’s death. Through her eyes, flashbacks, and the memories of a fig tree, we learn about Ada’s parents’ forbidden love and their journey throughout over 40 years. It’s a book about lost heritage, prejudice, civil war, eco-consciousness, and overcoming tragedy.
Here is the blurb:
“In The Island of Missing Trees, prizewinning author Eli Shafak bring us a rich, magical tale of belonging and identity, love and trauma, memory and amnesia, nature, and, finally, renewal.”
About the author
Elif Shafak (website) is a bestselling British-Turkish novelist with 19 books published. She holds a PhD in political science and features among the BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women. She was shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize for her novel 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World.
I first heard of her during one of the annual Dalkey Book Festivals (held in Ireland). I then read The Bastard of Istanbul (which I enjoyed but didn’t love). Recently, I came across her non-fiction essay How to Say Sane in an Age of Division, a true masterpiece. The Island of Missing Trees was January 2022’s choice of the book club I am a member of.
While she wasn’t born in Cyprus (but in France), Elif Shafak’s Turkish background might have helped her relate to the island’s political and cultural situation. She has also lived in several countries, which, I believe, gave her a deep understanding of topics related to immigration, emigration, and cultural shock.
What I liked the most
- The Island of Missing Trees deals with many complex subjects without sounding judgmental. For instance, “we are all islanders” is mentioned in the text now and then to demonstrate that heritage shouldn’t be used as a reason for war or prejudice.
- The use of nature to tell the story touched me deeply. We like to think of ourselves as the only sentient beings in the world, but the fact is that we could be wrong. I enjoyed how the tree told many parts of the story and that many other non-human characters are active narrators in some scenes.
- Family and friendship are at the core of this story, highlighting the importance of our close, face-to-face relationships.
- Elif Shafak has a strong, poetic voice, drawing you into the story without the need for big words or enigmatic metaphors.
- The glossary at the very end of the book also helped me with some of the Greek and Turkish vocabulary used in the story.
What I disliked
- I am not sure if the ending was the best choice. I won’t say what it is so as not to spoil it. But I will say that the frontier between fantasy and reality was broken too far much in the final chapter. I would be happier with the book finishing with Ada instead, as she was the one at the centre at the beginning of the book.
- I also wanted to understand Defne’s personality and life journey better. The way things ended for her felt a bit confusing.
What I learned
- As mentioned in the book, I am one of those people who has always seen Cyprus as no more than a dreamy sunny holiday destination. I didn’t know that Nicosia was, literally, a divided city, the last capital in the world separated by a buffer zone. Or that its inhabitants had gone through a civil war in the 70s and that so many people were still missing.
- Interesting facts about fig (and other) trees – I had no idea before reading the book that you could bury a tree without killing it.
- The book mentions intriguing dishes of the traditional Turkish cuisine that I’d love to try. I hope to taste oven-roasted figs with aniseed ice cream one day. And, I am dying of curiosity about the surprise inside the stuffed courgette flowers.
- More details about the sad destiny of many songbirds, tricked by their own music in their travels during Europe.
What I missed
Because there are so many themes discussed in this book, I felt that each one could have been better developed. Some of the themes probably deserved their own book in order to do them justice. The upside of this is that it gets you interested in doing some research of your own.
What to be aware of
Talking about the genre, The Island of Missing Trees is a literary book. But you will find entire chapters bringing elements of nature to life. Trees, parrots, bees, ants, and others, all have feelings, thoughts and can even talk among themselves.
It adds a fantasy touch that many literary lovers might not expect or be interested in. This book isn’t for you if you think that fantasy has no place in literary stories.
Takeaway
The Island of Missing Trees is a joy to read. I absolutely loved it. I read it twice, and I plan to read it again. It requires a mindset which is ready to accept the mix of fantasy and realism. If this is something you like or are willing to accept, you are in for a treat.
Favourite quotes
- “And then they were silent once again, drifting back to the painful place they both shared but could only occupy separately.”
- “For kindness always is direct, naive, effortless.”
- “When you leave your home for unknown shores, you don’t simply carry on as before, a part of you dies inside so that another part can start all over again.”
