The Island of Missing Trees cover art

The Island of Missing Trees

The war-torn love story set in 1970s Cyprus, shortlisted for the Women's Prize

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

The Island of Missing Trees

By: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Daphne Kouma, Amira Ghazalla
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £11.20

Buy Now for £11.20

Brought to you by Penguin.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022
THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK

You don't fall in love in Cyprus in the summer of 1974. Not here, not now.

In 1974, two teenagers, from opposite sides of a divided Cyprus, meet at a tavern in the city they both call home. The tavern is the only place that Kostas, who is Greek, and Defne who is Turkish, can meet in secret, hidden beneath the leaves of a fig tree growing through the roof of the tavern. This tree will witness their hushed happy meetings, and will be there when the war breaks out and the teenagers vanish.

Decades later in north London, sixteen-year-old Ada has never visited the island where her parents were born. She seeks to untangle years of her family's silence, but the only connection she has to the land of her ancestors Is a fig tree growing tin the garden of their home . . .

'This book moved me to tears . . . in the best way. Powerful and poignant' Reese Witherspoon

'A brilliant novel -- one that rings with Shafak's characteristic compassion' Robert Macfarlane

'This is an enchanting, compassionate and wise novel and storytelling at its most sublime' Polly Samson

© Elif Shafak 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Magic World Literature Heartfelt War
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

An outstanding work of breathtaking beauty (Lemn Sissay)
A writer of important, beautiful, painful, truthful novels (Marian Keyes)
Lovely heartbreaker of a novel centered on dark secrets of civil wars & evils of extremism: Cyprus, star-crossed lovers, killed beloveds, damaged kids (Margaret Atwood on Twitter)
Elif Shafak is a unique and powerful voice in world literature (Ian McEwan)
A wise novel of love and grief, roots and branches, displacement and home, faith and belief. The Island of Missing Trees is balm for our bruised times (David Mitchell, author of Utopia Avenue)
Simply magnificent, a truly captivating work of immense power and beauty, on the essence of life and its end (Philippe Sands on '10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World')
A rich, sensual novel... This is a novel that gives voice to the invisible, the untouchable, the abused and the damaged, weaving their painful songs into a thing of beauty
Elif Shafak's extraordinary 10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in this Strange World is a work of brutal beauty and consummate tenderness (Simon Schama on '10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in this Strange World')
One of the best writers in the world today
All stars
Most relevant
I was a bit sceptical about the idea of a fig tree narrator, fearing it might be twee. Not a bit. Really enjoyed this audiobook. I saw others criticised the accents but as a non speaker of Greek or Turkish this didn't bother me at all. I felt there was a good distinction between the characters and the narrators held my attention throughout. I learned a lot about Cyprus and a huge amount from the fig tree about nature ... even good home cleaning tips towards the end! I will definitely recommend this and have bought the book as a Christmas gift for a friend with a home on the island. I feel quite sad to be leaving Ada, Kostas and Mereyem ... perhaps the author will revisit them... I hope so!

exceeded my expectations

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this book. I learnt a whole lot about a different culture that endured a shockingly traumatic partition and the distressing after effects that it caused. It is so easy for humans to feel that they know what is best for a certain race/ethnic group (case in point - Afghanistan and Syria).
When really, all that is needed, is just some basic humanity.

A really beautiful novel brimming with history.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A wonderful story… beautifully read by Daphne and Amira… totally encapsulating. Well worth listening to!

Wonderful story…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Elif writes so beautifully it flows like silk. I was so sad when it ended.

Loved this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautiful story of love and trees and the war in Cyprus. I’ll never look at a fig tree without remembering this book.

Beautiful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews