Author: Tabitha Suzuma
Published: 2010
Rating: 5/5
Lochan and Maya are siblings forced to act as surrogate parents to their three younger siblings. As they become more dependent on each other their relationship starts to change. Lochan is unable to handle the social pressures of school and Maya is the only one who understands him. She is unable to stand the thought of sharing her brother with anyone. For them, their love for each other runs deeper than sibling affection.
Suzuma pulls her readers in with raw and beautiful prose. The prose is so electrically charged readers will find themselves a prisoner to the characters' emotions as their relationship develops from siblings to lovers. The author pulls off this deeply psychological relationship with such brilliance that those who shirk from incest will find themselves supporting the characters. Suzuma has created a novel that will allow readers into a "taboo" subject that exists in society. But will it seem so "taboo" as her readers' hearts are left bleeding for the characters on the final pages?
Personally, I was ecstatic to find a novel that explored incest. I have heard stories where publishing companies will reject a novel if it contains a deeply controversial topic. The fact that this novel was written for young adults seems like a milestone of sorts. Writers are meant to convey human truths without sugarcoating the realities their novels are inspired by. Suzuma has done just that.
Brings back memories of secretly reading VC Andrews's "Flowers in the Attic" as a teenager - my mother would've flipped if she had found me with that book!
ReplyDeleteI actually found out about that book and its sequels while researching novels similar to "Forbidden". I will be reading them after I get my kindle!
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