Elif Safak is one of the best contemporary authors of our time

The more books I read by Elif Safak. the more I fall in love with her work.

Safak is controversial.

She can’t return to Turkey due to political views that touch upon sensitive political issues like the Armenian-Turkish relationship.

I try not to discuss her books or views with my Turkish friends because I don’t want to spark a heated debate and ruin our evening.

I’m too old to argue or pontificate.

Politics aside, Safak is a great storyteller.

She currently lives in exile in London.

The sense of belonging, and the meaning of home, are all themes that dominate most of her novels.

The Island of Missing Trees

In her latest novel, The Island of Missing Trees, she delves into the contentious Turkish-Greek relationship over the island of Cyprus.

The island is currently divided between Cyprus and Turkey.

There is a Cypriot side and a Turkish side divided along a “green line”.