A review by elizabethgreads
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is quite an ambitious novel that was done well.  The story is intricately woven between present day London where the daughter (Ada) of two Cypriots one of Greek heritage and one of Turkish heritage tries to discover her family’s past to learn more about herself with past Cyprus from late 20th leading to the present.  It’s a story of love, loss, and the effects of war.  The past shows the Cyprus civil war and the trauma it caused its citizens both physically and psychologically.  It also investigates how these traumas are passed on to future generations and the moral questions those left to rebuild, and civilization are left to face after the war has ended. 

This book left me in tears multiple times.  The nature writing is exquisite, and I loved learning about nature and history from the POV of a fig tree.  The Novel feature two main love story that of Ada’s parents and that of two gay men.  Both love stories feature one partner whom is of Greek dissent and one whom is of Turkish dissent.  The team how love can over power cultural difference and how love makes the world a better place are wonderfully fulfilled throughout this book. 

The pacing was a bit slow at the beginning but got better throughout.  There is enough lingering mystery to keep the reader wanting more. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings