Scan barcode
A review by books_with_tutusandsons
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
5.0
You know, books like these are difficult to talk about. Difficult to explain. Difficult to write about. The emotions they evoke are deep, especially if they have something to hold on to within a person, such as a distant memory, a feeling lost or a piece of family history.
This is a love story. A beautiful and epic love story. But not only between a boy and a girl. Its a love letter to the nature. To one island. To neighbours. To family. To life. I am amazed how Shafak managed to blend it all so neatly, to connect all the lines together so well, that in the end all that is left is to be in awe of her virtue.
Its a story about falling in love in times of a civil war in the island of Cyprus. I also grew up in a time of a civil war. Not a Greek/Turkish one, but a Croatian/Serbian one. Ive witnessed friends becoming enemies. Neighbours turning their back on each other only for being born the wrong ethnicity. I was too young to understand a lot of stuff back then. Too young to experience romantic love. But I remember the fear my mom had of receiving a letter that would say my dad had to go to war. I remember the stories our friends told about stuff that was happening somewhere out there. I remember the news. The times spent in the shelter. The sound of bombs. The people staying without everything. Starting from a scratch somewhere else if they were lucky enough. So yeah, this book evoke something. Something deep and painful.
But also, it gave out the feeling of hope. That even with all the difficulties in life things can turn out good. Some scars will change the people we become, but we will always try to grow, to evolve, to change. For the future generations. And it sends the message that, even broken, love will always survive everything. Cause its a force that will never die. A force of nature.
This is a love story. A beautiful and epic love story. But not only between a boy and a girl. Its a love letter to the nature. To one island. To neighbours. To family. To life. I am amazed how Shafak managed to blend it all so neatly, to connect all the lines together so well, that in the end all that is left is to be in awe of her virtue.
Its a story about falling in love in times of a civil war in the island of Cyprus. I also grew up in a time of a civil war. Not a Greek/Turkish one, but a Croatian/Serbian one. Ive witnessed friends becoming enemies. Neighbours turning their back on each other only for being born the wrong ethnicity. I was too young to understand a lot of stuff back then. Too young to experience romantic love. But I remember the fear my mom had of receiving a letter that would say my dad had to go to war. I remember the stories our friends told about stuff that was happening somewhere out there. I remember the news. The times spent in the shelter. The sound of bombs. The people staying without everything. Starting from a scratch somewhere else if they were lucky enough. So yeah, this book evoke something. Something deep and painful.
But also, it gave out the feeling of hope. That even with all the difficulties in life things can turn out good. Some scars will change the people we become, but we will always try to grow, to evolve, to change. For the future generations. And it sends the message that, even broken, love will always survive everything. Cause its a force that will never die. A force of nature.