Summary of The Island of Missing Trees
Kostas and Defne are two young lovers in Cyprus in 1974. Kostas is Greek and Christian, while Defne is Turkish and Muslim. Their love is a forbidden one, so they meet secretly under a fig tree in a tavern in Nicosia. When war breaks out, they are torn apart, unsure if they will ever meet again. Years later, their teenage daughter Ada grows up in London, grappling with her identity and heritage. Her only link to Cyprus is a fig tree that grows in the garden of her home.
Reasons to read The Island of Missing Trees
“The Island of Missing Trees” is a poignant story set against the backdrop of a divided Cyprus. It explores the themes of forbidden love and the Greek-Turkish conflict in Cyprus, but also broader themes related to identity, family estrangement, and the challenges of growing up as a child of immigrants. The book offers insights into Cypriot history, customs, and nature, and even climate change. The story is told from the perspective of a fig tree – a technique that might not appeal to all readers but is masterfully handled by the author. Elif Shafak is a bestselling British-Turkish writer whose work received many literary accolades. “The Island of Missing Trees” was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2022.
Setting: Nicosia (Cyprus) & London (UK)
Original title: The Island of Missing Trees
Year of publication: 2021
Nr of pages: 368
