A review by cecilialau_
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
4.25
Definitely recommend this book and I’m looking forward to reading other books by Elif Shafak.
My expectations were unfairly high but I still really enjoyed this book and the subtle beauty of the story only gets better with time imo.
I very much appreciate fiction as a way to learn more about a historical period in time. With this I didn’t know much about the civil war in Cyprus but it gave an insight into it (though only superficially of course as part of the plot line and it’s also not nonfic).
My expectations were unfairly high but I still really enjoyed this book and the subtle beauty of the story only gets better with time imo.
I very much appreciate fiction as a way to learn more about a historical period in time. With this I didn’t know much about the civil war in Cyprus but it gave an insight into it (though only superficially of course as part of the plot line and it’s also not nonfic).
Spoiler
The owners of The Happy Fig were essential to my reading experience btw. The parrot’s story told by the fig tree was heartbreakingly beautiful as well. I appreciated the fig tree telling us about the essential role and relevance of ecosystems. Not sure how I felt about Defne’s soul inhabiting the fig tree at the end though
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Abandonment, Murder, Colonisation, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Genocide