The Island of Missing Trees Audiobook by Elif Shafak

Summary

Prepare to embark on an extraordinary journey through the pages of this captivating audiobook. Whether you’re an avid reader or a newcomer to the world of audiobooks, this unique listening experience is sure to leave a lasting impression. With a perfect blend of engaging storytelling and skilled narration, this audiobook transports you into a realm where the boundaries between reality and fantasy seamlessly blur.

Audiobook Info

Author: Elif Shafak
Narrator: Amira Ghazalla, Daphne Kouma
Duration: 9 hours and 45 minutes
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Release Date: September 14, 2021

Review

Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees is an immersive tale that flourishes in both narrative originality and emotional resonance, but what truly distinguishes the audiobook version is its mesmerizing narration. From the very first moments, Amira Ghazalla and Daphne Kouma breathe life into Shafak’s prose with performances rich in nuance, authenticity, and empathy. Their voices act not just as narrators but as vital storytellers who invite listeners beneath Cyprus’s sun-dappled canopies and into the tangled roots of memory.

The story itself is a tapestry woven from threads of love, war, nature, and legacy – centered around Kostas and Defne’s forbidden romance amid Cyprus’s turbulent history. Yet it’s not only human voices that guide us; one of the novel’s most enchanting elements is its use of magical realism: the perspective occasionally shifts to a fig tree, silently observing decades of heartbreak and hope. This bold narrative device could easily feel contrived in lesser hands, but here it delivers profound insight – reminding us how nature witnesses all that humans endure.

Ghazzala and Kouma handle these shifts in perspective with remarkable skill. Each accent infuses scenes with cultural depth; each pause and intonation draws out layers of meaning buried within Shafak’s lush sentences. Some listeners may initially find certain accents challenging to decipher, but I found these touches only heightened my sense of immersion – Cyprus itself becomes almost tangible through their delivery.

The pace can be gentle at times – mirroring the steady growth rings inside a tree – but don’t mistake this for dullness. Instead, it allows space for reflection: on intergenerational trauma, on migration and displacement, on what it means to belong (or not) to both place and family. The island setting blurs lines between realism and myth; every detail feels deliberately chosen to evoke longing – for home, for peace, for understanding.

Above all else stands Shafak’s poetic language – achingly beautiful when spoken aloud by these narrators – and her ability to make even silence meaningful. The result is an audiobook that lingers long after you remove your headphones: it prompts us to reconsider our connections – to each other, to our histories, even to trees rooted quietly beside us.

Download & Listen

For those yearning for a story as layered as ancient roots beneath Mediterranean soil – and for listeners who appreciate both literary ambition and powerful performance – The Island of Missing Trees offers an unforgettable experience. Don’t let this masterpiece pass you by; download it now from KTAudiobooks.com and let yourself be transported by Elif Shafak’s moving vision brought vividly alive through voice. This isn’t just an audiobook – it’s a living testament to resilience and belonging waiting for you among its branches.

Status: Completed Version: Unabridged Genre: Literature & Fiction, Women's Fiction Author: Elif Shafak Narrator: Amira Ghazalla, Daphne Kouma Updated: 26/11/2025 Listening Time: 11 hrs and 43 mins