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

adventurous emotional hopeful informative 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

This is the second book I've read by Elif Safak, and let me just tell you it is just as remarkable as the first. The Island of Missing Trees takes us back through time to follow the intensity of young love, the outbreak of war, the life of a fig tree, and the grief that comes with loss. It was enjoyable to have the lives of bees, of birds, of butterflies, and of different kinds of trees highlighted in the writing, and I enjoyed having a sense of life from the perspective of a trees. The story-telling is carefully crafted and beautiful. I felt the end (both surprising and touching) to be one of the most warming parts of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.