The Island of Missing Trees Part 6, Chapter 3: Kitchen, London, late 2010s Summary & Analysis

The day before Meryem plans to leave, she and Ada cook together. Sensing that their time together is running out, Meryem dispenses tips and wisdom as quickly as possible. She tells Ada how to clean the kettle and keeps translating Ada’s Greek to Turkish when Ada describes food. While cooking, Ada tells Meryem that her closest friend at school is a boy named Edward. Meryem says boys are only interested in one thing when they’re Ada’s age: sex. Ada argues that women can be just as interested in sex as men, if not more. Meryem also says that women need to work to hold onto men, especially as they get older, and Ada senses, not for the first time, that much of Meryem’s superstitions and beliefs stem from timidity and insecurity.

This passage highlights the generational differences between Ada and Meryem. While Meryem thinks of men and women in ways that might be thought of as stereotypes, Ada understands gender in more fluid terms. That generational difference also points to the novel’s arguments regarding climate change; while many people may be used to doing things that harm the environment and will cling to doing things “as they’ve always been done,” the novel is optimistic about the willingness of younger people to recognize issues of the past and find creative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

Active Themes

The Island of Missing Trees: Part 6, Chapter 3: Kitchen, London, late 2010s Summary & Analysis