The Island Of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

 

Kostos and Defne are teenagers in love.  That would be fine except for one thing.  They live on Cyprus where Kostos is Greek and Defne is Turkish, meaning that their parents will never accept their love.  They find a tavern run by a gay couple who are also a mixture of Turkish and Greek backgrounds and meet there.  The tavern has a huge fig tree growing up inside and the tree is a character in the novel as well.

When the civil war comes, Kostos' mother sends him to London.  He thinks he is only going for a short visit but in reality it is years before he returns.  Defne has remained on the island throughout the war and now works reclaiming bodies killed in the massacres of that war.  When they see each other, their love reunites and they go to London bearing a cutting of the fig tree.  They marry and have a child, Ada.

Elif Shafak is a Turkish/British writer and her books reflect her Turkish history.  She is known as an advocate for women's rights and her novels often feature strong women who find a way to live their dreams.  In this novel, the reader will learn the history of the Cyprus Civil War as well as the plants, insects and animals who live there, told often by the fig tree character who symbolizes rebirth and continuity.  Kostos and Defne have a love that transcends differences and they find a way to be together.  This novel was shortlisted for the Women's Fiction Prize.  It is recommended for literary fiction and historical fiction readers.