The Island of Missing Trees

In "The Island of Missing Trees" by Elif Shafak, two teenagers, Kostas and Defne, form a secret bond amidst the turmoil of a divided Cyprus, with a fig tree serving as the silent witness to their love and eventual separation during wartime. Decades later, Kostas returns, not just as a botanist but in search of his lost love, while Ada Kazantzakis, living in London, grapples with her family's troubled history and her identity through the same type of tree. This evocative novel explores themes of belonging, love, and the intertwining of personal and collective histories. With lyrical prose, it captures the essence of connection to both nature and one's roots in a world marked by division.