comment on style

The language of The Island of Missing Trees is rich with metaphors, similes, and other literary devices. The fig tree, in particular, is an eloquent narrator. In Chapter 4, the fig tree makes a striking allusion to the bible: “Adam and Eve shared a tender, ripe, deliciously alluring, aromatic fig, splitting it open right down the middle, and as the fleshy opulent sweetness dissolved on their tongues they began to see the universe around them in a completely new light because that is what happens to those who attain knowledge and wisdom. Then they covered themselves with the leaves of the tree they happened to be standing under. As for the apple, I am sorry, it didn’t even feature” (39). The fig tree’s assertion that Adam and Eve shared a fig—and not an apple—is but one example in which the tree showcases their storytelling skills. Such allusions and anecdotes are characteristic of the tree’s chapters and help provide perspective on the plot as a whole.