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

emotional informative 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? Yes

5.0

The Island of Missing Trees completely took my breath away. Shafak is a gorgeous writer - there were so many sentences and paragraphs where I had to pause and savor her words while others moved me to tears. I absolutely loved the chapters written from the point of view of the fig tree - they added a fresh and painfully heartbreaking perspective. I also loved the shifting timelines and how the past bled into the present no matter how desperately the characters tried to push it away.

This story offers an emotional exploration of intergenerational trauma and suffering, migration and home, and the simultaneous power and burden of memory. Weaving together human, plant, and animal perspectives made this story incredibly rich. 

The one piece that irked me was the universalizing of humanity as being out of touch with the more than human world as well as responsible for most of its suffering. I feel that is a dangerous generalization to make as it erases many indigenous peoples throughout the world who are in deep relationship with the land.

cw: civil war, death of parent, grief/trauma
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