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The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

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afterttherain's review against another edition

5.0

“He knew, even back then, that she was prone to bouts of melancholy. It came to her in successive waves, an ebb and flow. When the first wave arrived, barely touching her toes, it was so light and translucent a ripple that you might be forgiven for thinking it insignificant, that it would vanish soon, leaving no trace. But then followed another wave, and the next one, rising as far as her ankles, and the one after that covering her knees, and before you knew it she was immersed in liquid pain, up to her neck, drowning. That's how depression sucked her in.”

daja57's review against another edition

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3.0

This book centres around Kostas, a Greek Cypriot boy, and Defne, a Turkish Cypriot girl, who fall in love during the tensions leading up to the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus which divided a community on the brink of civil war into two separate communities. There is a second strand, set in the late 2010s: in which, following Defne's death, her sister Meryem visits Kostas, Defne's bereaved husband, and their daughter in London, Ada.

The narrative is told in the past tense and largely from the unusual perspective of a fig tree growing in the middle of a taverna is Cyprus and in a London back garden (Kostas took a cutting). The fig tree acts as an omniscient narrator, partly because it is told what is happening by insects, birds and animals that 'talk' to it. This conceit permits the author to, somewhat didactically, recount the twentieth century history of intercommunal strife of Cyprus and offer a philosophy which, in short, seems to be 'Nature - especially trees - good, humanity bad'. I suppose that if you want to learn about Cyprus and ecology this might be the book for you but I felt that this focus meant the author was less focused on the characters. There was so much potential for developing empathy for characters in hugely tense situations generating enormous emotions ... but I scarcely felt involved. Ada screams in class ... but this wasn't developed except as an online embarrassment. The early parts of the book contains spoilers which reduced the narrative tension and undermined any surprises. It just didn't grab me.

Part of the problem is its preachiness: it can't seem to touch on a problem or issue without sermonising, and always from the perspective of an ecologically aware millennial. I like books that challenge me to think and this book repeatedly told me what to think.

There were some great touches. I loved the character of Meryam who conversation was peppered with proverbs (see below). There are moments of great description (eg: "The tang of jasmine, winding around the wrought-iron balustrade like a golden thread through homespun cloth, perfumed the air"; 3: Definition of love). I also enjoyed the teenage truculence of Ada. There were some very authentic bits of dialogue. But I didn't really care about Kostas or the dead Defne; I was reading with my head and not my heart.

euboid's review against another edition

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5.0

A heartbreaking, enchanting and romantic story about people and nature.

It’s an incredibly well thought-out book that gave me a deeper appreciation for life, both human and non-human.

It’s taught me about the rich culture of an island I’ve never been too, and the history that few people talk about today.

So glad I picked this up. The writer is just amazing.

10/10