The Island of Missing Trees

Ada Kazantzakis is the child of Defne and Kostas Kazantzakis. As of the third timeline of the book, set in the 2010s, she is 16 years old. Ada was conceived in Cyprus but born and raised in London; she has never visited her home country nor met any of her parents’ relatives, and she does not even speak either of her parents’ languages, Turkish or Greek. Ada used to be close to her father, but they drift apart after Defne’s death. While Ada grieves her mother and misses her dearly, she is also angry with Defne for the manner of her death, believing it to have been caused by Defne’s selfish behavior.

Ada is intensely curious about her past and feels lonely owing to her insulation from her native land and her culture. She does not have a relationship with any of her extended family, and she fees angry about the fact that no one attended her mother’s funeral. The sadness and frustration of feeling alienated growing up compounded by her mother’s death leads to Ada’s pent-up feelings emerging in the sudden outburst she has in her history class.

When Meryam arrives that winter break, she becomes a fitting outlet for all of Ada’s anger, curiosity, and ultimately even her need for connection.