The Island of Missing Trees

The Island of Missing Trees is a novel penned by British-Turkish writer Elif Shafak, whose writing, although fictional, features books set in specific socio-historical or cultural contexts. This particular novel is set against the backdrop of the conflict between the Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus, referred to as the “Cyprus problem,” It originated in 1878 with the ceding of Cyprus to the British by the Ottoman Empire in exchange for protection against the Russians. This led to the annexing of the island by the British in 1918, with it eventually becoming a colony. In the 1950s, however, Greek Cypriots began agitating in the name of enosis, i.e., the unification of Cyprus with Greece. In 1960, a temporary peace was obtained when Greek and Turkish Cypriots came together to agree on a constitution, signaling Cyprus’s independence as a nation. However, the agreement saw Britain, along with Turkey and Greece, continue to hold intervention rights over the island (Cyprus Profile).

A few years into the young nation’s life, conflicts began to arise from multiple sources once again. The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA) and the Türk Mukavemet Teşkilatı (TMT) came into being, Greek and Turkish nationalist groups respectively. The former’s agenda remained enosis and the complete eradication of British involvement in Cyprus; the latter opposed enosis, for fear that upon uniting with Greece, the Turkish community would begin to face persecution and violence. Activities carried out by each organization against the other led to an escalation of inter-communal tensions. Finally, in 1974, EOKA-B (a later avatar of EOKA) carried out a coup against the democratically elected President Archbishop Makarios, which in turn led to a response of Turkish invasion and occupation of a portion of the island. The conflict led to thousands of deaths, with tens of thousands of Greek and Turkish Cypriots displaced from their homes as they fled for safety in opposite directions across the island (Cyprus Profile).

The 1980s witnessed a slow beginning to peace talks between the Greek and Turkish communities, sponsored by the UN. Part of the peace talks included establishing a Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) with Greek, Turkish, and UN members, aimed at finding, identifying, and returning the remains of those who went missing during the conflict in the 60s and 70s to their families (CMP Cyprus). However, it was only in 2003 that Greek and Turkish Cypriots finally crossed the “Green Line” (the border dividing the island into Greek and Turkish territories) for the first time. Throughout the 2000s, Cyprus witnessed major milestones, such as joining the EU and demolishing barriers dividing the city of Nicosia; however, it remained a divided island, even as reunification talks continued to be carried out by political leaders over the next couple of decades. As of 2021 (the year of the novel’s publication), the Republic of Cyprus remains a divided nation. The government controls the south two-thirds of the island, and the northern one-third is referred to as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, internationally recognized only by Turkey (Cyprus).