The Island of Missing Trees: Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Of The Year Award

Very informative and unique theme, shows a love for nature coupled with joys and sorrows of life.

I had to stop myself and pace myself, as I couldn't put this book down. Elif Shafak has a unique way to tell her story and breathe life into it. Loved it!

Excelente escritora. Nunca me decepciona. Felicidades a Elif Shafak

A beautiful story from one of my favorite authors, Elif Shafak. When I heard that she was publishing a new book, I was overwhelmed with joy. To say that I adore this author would be an understatement. I read many of her works, including “The Forty Rules of Love”, “The Three Daughters of Eve”, and “Black Milk”. She is a great writer, who approaches difficult and emotional topics with delicate sensitivity, and her new book was a genuine pleasure to read. Kostas and Defne are two teenagers who are madly in love with each other. Kostas is a Greek Cypriot, while Defne is a Turkish Cypriot – this difference threatens their love. They meet in a taverna and their forbidden love grows with each day that passes. In the middle of the taverna, there is a fig tree, which bears witness to their encounters and a myriad of other things. War breaks out and things change, for the both of them. Decades later, Kostas returns to the island, in search of his lost love. Will he find it? And what will happen next? You will have to read the book to find out. The story will also introduce you to Ada, a young girl who is trying to figure out who she is and whose only connection to the far island of Cyprus is a tree growing in her garden. This story is moving and beautifully written. The sublime storytelling draws you from the first page and you can easily sense the motivation behind the book, the author’s intense desire for equality and peace. She explores so many different themes but I think the one that spoke to me the most was the emigrant life, and how we are always carrying a piece of our home wherever we go. Our homeland is part of our identity, no matter where we might find ourselves. What were the things I loved most about the book? • It reminded me about my home and the fact that I carry it in my heart wherever I go. As you will see, a large part is narrated by a fig tree. She remembers her life back in Cyprus, her roots so to say. “I still carry the island with me, though. The places where we were born are the shape of our lives, even when we are away from them. Especially then. Now and again in my sleep I find myself in Nicosia, standing under a familiar sun, my shadow falling against the rocks, reaching towards the prickly broom bushes that burst with blossoms, each as perfect and as bright as the golden coins in a children’s fable.” • It spoke of how we must let go of who we used to be in order to make room for the current self. Elif Shafak speaks about migration not only as a process but also as an influencing factor on our identity. “Because that is what migrations and relocations do to us: when you leave your home for unknown shores, you don’t simply carry on as before; a part of you dies inside so that another part can start all over again.” • Reference to the poems of C.P. Cavafy, one of the most distinguished poets of the 20th century. “Arriving there is what you are destined for/But do not hurry the journey at all…” • Story of forbidden love – I was rooting hard for Defne and Kostas to remain together. Their love story is beautiful and sad at the same time, and reminded me of the old cliché, true love never dies. “You know what I’ve been thinking since? I’ve been thinking that you are my country. Is that a strange thing to say? Without you, I don’t have a home in this world; I am a felled tree, my roots severed all round; you can topple me with the touch of a finger.” • Countless references to nature, and especially to trees. The author skillfully reminds us we are all connected, and that both trees and humans grow roots, which shape our identity. The key to happiness is being able to leave those roots behind and form new ones, discovering a new part of ourselves. “The Island of Missing Trees” is a beautiful novel, one that will definitely stir a lot of emotions inside. It will cause you to ask a lot of questions about who you are, especially if you are living far away from your homeland. Rich in descriptions and with numerous mentions of cultural differences and traditions, it inspires and delights at the same time. One of the best reads of 2021!

The writing was truly beautiful and offered me a much deeper understanding of Cyprus’s history. Elif Shafak is an incredibly talented writer, and her ability to weave history, emotion, and narrative together is remarkable.

The book I received has missing pages. Three chapter are repeated and around 30 pages are not there.

Absolutely loved this book. Became really invested in characters and it was written beautifully making me live in all times. Really distressing that humans can be so cruel and behave so appallingly jn this time. We have not learnt a thing through history. Love this author, with references to her sources of info in last chapter. Great read. Better to know than not