What I am reading: Elif Shafak’s “The Island of Missing Trees”

I just finished reading Elif Shafak’s “The Island of Missing Trees”. Some parts evoke memories of a visit to Greece years ago! It only made sense that Aphrodite will feature – a treasured gift from a friend – also all the way from Greece.

So this is a ‘spoiler-free’ and very concise review, just wanted to tell you about this book and my brief overall impressions – if it is something you’d like to add to your reading list! 

Elif Shafak - The Island of Missing Trees

About the book (from https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/)
Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. The taverna is the only place that Kostas and Defne can meet in secret, hidden beneath the blackened beams from which hang garlands of garlic and chilli peppers, creeping honeysuckle, and in the centre, growing through a cavity in the roof, a fig tree. The fig tree witnesses their hushed, happy meetings; their silent, surreptitious departures. The fig tree is there, too, when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns – a botanist, looking for native species – looking, really, for Defne. The two lovers return to the taverna to take a clipping from the fig tree and smuggle it into their suitcase, bound for London. Years later, the fig tree in the garden is their daughter Ada’s only knowledge of a home she has never visited, as she seeks to untangle years of secrets and silence, and find her place in the world.

Elif Shafak - The Island of Missing TreesElif Shafak is a wonderful story-teller. Authentic characters, raw emotion, cultural diversity, even a non-person narrator (the fig tree) were utterly charming and gracefully depicted. 4/5 for me!

 

This book is available at Takealot, Exclusive Books, Reader’s Warehouse, Graffiti Books and Loot.

Thank you to #Penguinbooks for the opportunity to read this gem! #LitScape #BookClub #bookstagram #bookrecommendation #whatareyoureading #ElifShafak #TheIslandOfMissingTrees #ReadingList

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to Top