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

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Beautifully written in several provocative sections: How to Bury a Tree, Roots, Trunks, Branches, Ecosystem, and How to Unbury a Tree with several characters with my favourite being the Fig Tree. I often copy down my favourite quotes and here is one from the Fig Tree:    

A tree knows that life is all about self learning. Under stress we make new combinations of DNA, new genetic variations. Not only stressed plants but also their offspring do this, even if they themselves might not have undergone any similar environmental or physical trauma. You might call it transgenerational memory. At the end of the day, we all remember for the same reason we try to forget: to survive in a world that neither understands nor values us. 

 

Where there is trauma, look for the signs, for there are always signs. Cracks that appear in our trunks, splits that won't heal, leaves that display autumn colours in spring, bark that peels like unbolted skin. But no matter what kind of trouble it may be going through, a tree always knows that it is linked to endless life forms- from honey fungus, the largest living thing, down to the smallest bacteria and archaea -and that is its existence is not an isolated happenstance but intrinsic to a wider community. Even trees of different species show solidarity with one another regardless of their differences, which is more than you can say for so many humans.” (p. 100) 

You will learn some history of Cyprus, a little about immigration, and intergenerational trauma, and a lot about nature!