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Apparently I needed a history lesson about Cyprus. I had just thought the island was part of Greece, but I was probably conflating it/lopping it in with other islands in the Mediterranean, primarily Crete. But this novel set me right. I love when a work of fiction introduces me to history, geography, politics and culture I wasn’t previously aware of. Then that always gets me searching online for more information to get a fuller picture.
What I learned first was that Cyprus is its own nation, and it’s located close to Turkey and Lebanon. It’s inhabited by Greeks and Turks, who have long been at odds, and the island experienced a partition decades ago.
This novel is set both in the 1970s and in the late 2010s, and it tells the story of Cyprus and its political divisions through two lovers. Kostas is Greek and Defne is Turkish. They are both islanders, but their families would be angry if they knew they were dating. So they meet secretly at a taverna called the Happy Fig, where a fig tree actually stands in the center of the restaurant. The tree bears witness to their fateful story. It sees when war breaks out and the taverna is ruined and the teens no longer come.
Years later, a fig tree stands in the English backyard of Ada Kazantzakis. Her father works with trees professionally and brought this tree as a small clipping from Cyprus. It still bears witness to the continued story of the lovers, including their daughter. Ada knows little about her parents’ history and that of the island she has never visited. When her aunt comes to England for the first time, Ada finally learns more about her heritage and the complicated story of her parents’ home.
The Island of Missing Trees is a beautiful historical fiction book about love, ethnic division, history, and even botany. The fig tree itself narrates throughout the novel and readers get to learn about the importance of these trees in the ecosystem. It’s a touching story and opened a window onto a place I knew little about through the perspective of fictional families.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 1 use of strong language, around 5 instances of moderate profanity, a few uses of mild language, and 15 instances of the name of Deity in vain. There are references to sex happening but no real details.
