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A review by miss_readerbee
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Elif Shafak really is a master weaver of stories. This is the second book of hers I've read after '40 rules of love' and I cannot praise it enough! Her writing is rich and poignant and has depth that surely must come from someone who both thinks and feels deeply. The characters, plot, their emotions are all so intricately created and described.
This paragraph from the book was my absolute favourite. "Costas has once told her that long ago in Peru where tomatoes had originated, they used to call it 'A plum thing with a navel'. Defne had liked that description. Everything in life should be evoked in such detail she thought. Rather than being given abstract names, a random combination of letters. A bird should be 'A Feathery thing with a song'. Or a car 'A metallic thing with wheels and a hole'. An island 'A lonely thing with water on all sides'. And love - she might've answered this question differently until today, but now she was certain love ought to be called 'A deceptive thing with heartbreak in the end'.
It is rare to have a book that is both beautifully written and deals with topics as delicate as ones that are dealt with in this book - war that divides people, immigration, one generation's traumas transcending its way into other generations - so many profound themes. On top of all this is one core element - that of the role ecological systems play and how all organisms other than humans - plants, bees, faunas are not given their due credit. The fig tree and some fauna is anthropomorphized, their feelings given a voice and events happening in the book described from their 'eyes', and that was uniquely lovely to read.
I listened to this book as an audio book and credit is definitely due to the narration too, the book is very well read. Would definitely not mind coming back to this one and getting it in print!
This paragraph from the book was my absolute favourite. "Costas has once told her that long ago in Peru where tomatoes had originated, they used to call it 'A plum thing with a navel'. Defne had liked that description. Everything in life should be evoked in such detail she thought. Rather than being given abstract names, a random combination of letters. A bird should be 'A Feathery thing with a song'. Or a car 'A metallic thing with wheels and a hole'. An island 'A lonely thing with water on all sides'. And love - she might've answered this question differently until today, but now she was certain love ought to be called 'A deceptive thing with heartbreak in the end'.
It is rare to have a book that is both beautifully written and deals with topics as delicate as ones that are dealt with in this book - war that divides people, immigration, one generation's traumas transcending its way into other generations - so many profound themes. On top of all this is one core element - that of the role ecological systems play and how all organisms other than humans - plants, bees, faunas are not given their due credit. The fig tree and some fauna is anthropomorphized, their feelings given a voice and events happening in the book described from their 'eyes', and that was uniquely lovely to read.
I listened to this book as an audio book and credit is definitely due to the narration too, the book is very well read. Would definitely not mind coming back to this one and getting it in print!