The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Review by Ali Solhi, Senior Library Assistant, Central Library
“The Island of Missing Trees” by Elif Shafak is a well-written novel that chronicles the stories of individuals who have endured political, religious, and ethnic division and displacement from their motherland. It explores intergenerational trauma, the emotional connection with what is left behind due to forced migration, and the collective memory that gets buried as time goes by.
The author beautifully articulates the impact of migration and relocation as follows: "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."
The novel is set in modern-day London, and the narrative unfolds in a parallel storyline between the past and present. One plot follows Ada, a teenage girl living in the UK who is eager to learn about her parents' past and the events that have shaped her life, while the other discloses the lost memories of Defne, a Turkish Cypriot Muslim and Kostas, a Greek Cypriot Christian and their teenage years secret romance in the politically turbulent Cyprus in the 1970s.
Through an artful juxtaposition of the metaphorical elements, the tree roots symbolize cultural and ethnic roots. Shafak evocatively portrays the depth of the pain that ensues when those roots are displaced in a new environment far from the motherland.
Shafak writes succinctly about conflict within a nation and the impact it has on ordinary lives without falling into the trap of nationalism and tribalism, as she tells the story from the perspective of a fictional fig tree that partly narrates the story and reveals the wounds of colonial separation and division among people who once upon a time, were neighbors and friends and suddenly became enemies of each other.
Through masterly story-telling techniques and a well-researched and imaginative effort, the author presents the intergenerational impact of migration and relocation from a humanistic and ecological perspective. At a time when we are witnessing a record-high number of migrations and displacements due to war, political conflict, and environmental and economic challenges around the world, this novel would be a great read to bring us together and connect us to the core of our humanity regardless of our racial, cultural and religious differences.