Point of View

The Island of Missing Trees is told through third person limited narration, with its focus alternating between different characters, depending on the chapter. This is useful especially given how the characters in the novel struggle with miscommunicating their emotions. The narrator provides an in-depth look into the motivations of Ada, Kostas, and Defne, enabling the reader to empathize with each of their personal struggles.

The exception to this narration style takes form in the character of the fig tree. The fig tree’s chapters are told through first-person perspective, from the tree’s point of view. The personification of the tree adds a layer of mystery to the plot, as the reader does not find out the tree’s true identity until the novel’s end. In Chapter 4, the tree introduces themselves by saying, “I know what you are thinking. How could I, an ordinary...