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

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Beautifully written. The descriptive, almost lyrical writing was reminiscent of Middle Eastern story telling, and was fitting for this book. The characters were believable despite not being overly developed and I enjoyed the way Shafak moved between past and present. I originally loved the chapters from the POV of the fig tree but later chapters felt repetitive and I thought the tree was aware of too much information. My main issue with this book was that there was too much telling and not enough showing. No mysteries were left unsolved and everything was explicitly explained. The interweaving of ecological awareness and advocacy was done really well and added to the overall plot. The historical rooting of the book was also well written and the author struck a perfect balance between historical and fiction. Looking forward to checking out more from this author in the future.
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