Review: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Nov 28, 2010 by shanyn

Title: Forbidden
Paperback, 418 pages
Rereleasing as hardcover, 288 pages
Author: Tabitha Suzuma
Publisher: Definitions (UK), Simon and Schuster (US)
Publication Date: May 27, 2010 (UK), June 28, 2011 (US)
Source: Publisher
Buy: Amazon

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Book Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Maya and seventeen-year-old Lochan have never had the chance to be ‘normal’ teenagers. Having pulled together for years to take care of their younger siblings while their wayward, drunken mother leaves them to fend alone, they have become much more than brother and sister. And now, they have fallen in love. But this is a love that can never be allowed, a love that will have devastating consequences …

How can something so wrong feel so right?

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Review:
Forbidden has already been released in the UK, but is being released in the US by Simon & Schuster. Because it is a book that has already been published, there is already some buzz about it – mainly because the main topic of this book is incest.

Lochan and Maya live in a family environment that is much less than ideal – no father, and a mother who could care less. They have three younger siblings that they are forced to take care of, turning them into the mother and father of the household, in a way.

IF YOU WANT TO BE COMPLETELY SURPRISED BY THE BOOK PLEASE DO NOT READ ON (though things I discuss here rather obviously happen):
Lochan and Maya eventually figure out that they are in love, even though they are brother and sister. They tell each other they have never actually felt like brother and sister, just best friends and soul mates, as they have been forced to grow up quickly and take care of the house.

So here is the main plot of the novel: consensual incest. This book is long (a little too long in my opinion, but regardless), and I found myself reading very quickly because of how uncomfortable I was with many of the scenes. I was uncomfortable in my very core – the book didn’t have to keep screaming about incest for me to feel Lochan and Maya’s relationship was not right – the abuse they take from their mother and the childhood that they sacrificed to care for their brothers and sister clearly altered their world enough that they thought a relationship together is appropriate.

And I know that many individuals are going to say that maybe this shows that consensual incest is okay, love is love is love, if they never felt like brother and sister then what’s the big deal? And I can solidly say, after reading this book, that I still think a relationship between flesh and blood, whether consensual or not, is not appropriate. I started Forbidden thinking that maybe my thoughts on this topic would change, but my continued uncomfortable feeling through proved that there was something off about the relationship – I didn’t think it was romantic or charming the way they cared for each other. There are different types of love for this very reason – you can love your brother and sister with all of your might, support and care for them – but I don’t think it should cross that physical threshold. Especially in this instance, where they hadn’t even tried relationships with others (really).

Enough about that. As far as the actual book goes? A little long for me. The ending also came together a bit too easily (but not in the ways you would expect) – many questions were left unanswered. Perhaps this was done on purpose, but I wasn’t a fan – because the rest of the book was very very well written. Tabitha Suzuma approached this (difficult) subject with grace and prose – each of her characters had a unique identity and you get quite emotionally invested.

Will this book be on ban lists? This is almost 100% certain. This topic is very controversial, and has very heavy material. Do I think that it should be? No. While I don’t think it’s necessarily a great pick for a 10 year old reader, it certainly can start conversation with an older teen. And it’s not an advocate for consensual incest, either – clearly, I was not swayed. We need to stop assuming that readers are going to automatically pick up the habits they read about in books or see in movies and instead use these opportunities for discussions of their feelings about what they read or saw. You can’t learn anything by avoiding the topic altogether, and this is a good chance as any to spark a dialogue about this topic.

Buy: Amazon

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