The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

"Kostas and Defne, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna and grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he's searching for lost love."

• Patrons have the option of attending this program either in-person or virtually via Zoom. The Zoom login information will be emailed to you the day before the program and again an hour prior to the program's start time.