The Island of Missing Trees

Reviews

A beautiful contemplation of some of life’s biggest questions about identity, history and meaning. A brilliant novel — one that rings with her characteristic compassion for the overlooked and the under-loved, for those whom history has exiled, excluded or separated. An excruciatingly tender love story that transcends cultures, generations and, most remarkably, species. Shafak’s novel conveys how our ancestors’ stories can reach us obliquely, unconsciously … Shafak is cleareyed about how difficult it is to reach across the gulfs within our families. A poignant novel of love, grief, and the generational trauma ... a worthy read for our times, when so many conflicts have driven people to flee, carrying with them the horrors of war and the grief of leaving their homelands and loved ones behind. A commentary on the bitter legacy of war .... [and] also a commentary on the folly of our adversarial relationship with nature and our refusal to learn from the flora and fauna with which we share the planet ... [Shafak] understands the interconnectedness of all things great and small. The Island of Missing Trees isn’t just a cleverly constructed novel; it’s explicitly about the way stories are constructed, the way meaning is created, and the way devotion persists ...[Shafak is] that rare alchemist who can mix grains of tragedy and delight without diminishing the savor of either. The results may sometimes feel surreal, but this technique allows her to capture the impossibly strange events of real life. This tragic tale tempered by enduring love and a fantastical ending is an overall triumph. Shafak’s writing is magnetic, and while reading, one is completely absorbed by the world of both Cyprus and London. A beautiful nod to an individual finding a place in a big world. Shafak amazes with this resonant story of the generational trauma of the Cypriot Civil War. Ambitious, thought-provoking, and poignant. An enthralling, historically revelatory, ecologically radiant, and emotionally lush tale of loss and renewal. Rich and tender… Shafak bridges the disconnect so many of us feel in these times between our technology-glutted, hamster-wheel lives and the grounding comfort of the natural world. Blends facts about Cyprus with moving reflections on the toll of civil war, the challenges of being uprooted, and the interconnectedness of all life. Shafak’s voice is tender but piercing, laying out each character’s joy and hurt as the novel unravels and reweaves itself across generations, borders, and butterfly migrations. A powerful and intoxicating story of the dangers of climate change. A wise novel of love and grief, roots and branches, displacement and home, faith and belief. Balm for our bruised times. This is an enchanting, compassionate and wise novel and storytelling at its most sublime. Though rooted in bloody atrocity it sings to all the senses. A wonderfully transporting and magical novel that is, at the same time, revelatory about recent history and the natural world and quietly profound. A beautiful and magical tale infused with love. Stunning. A novel that moves with the urgency of a mystery. But there is tenderness and humor in this tale, too, and the intense readerly pleasures of a narrative that dances from the insights of ecological science to Greek myth and finally to their surprising merger in what might be called—natural magic. A beautiful novel about the broken island of Cyprus and its wounded and scarred inhabitants, The Island of Missing Trees teaches us that brokenness can only be healed by love. An outstanding work of breathtaking beauty. Shafak makes a new home for us in words. One of the best writers in the world today. Expand reviews