Forbidden

by Tabitha Suzuma

She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed.
He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future.
And now they have fallen in love.

But . . .
They are brother and sister.

Forbidden will take you on an extraordinary emotional journey. Passionate and shocking, this is a book you will remember long after you have put it down.

• ISBN10: 1442419954
• ISBN13: 9781442419957
• Publish Date: 28 June 2011 (first published 27 May 2010)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 464
• Language: English

Reviews

[Caitiebelle]

Oh by the dark old gods of old why oh why did I put myself through this heart-wrenching piece of art...?!

This is DARK. It's...kind of beautiful...it IS well written, and it brings out all the fucking feels, my heart is broken, I am still wiping up the mess my face has turned into, and I'm desperately trying to find something in my library now that is all smiles and bubblegum, because THIS book...completely ruined my day.

Hat's off to the author, don't get me wrong, this is a really really really well-written book.
I honestly loved all the characters, I ate up the book....but I actually thought this would have a good ending. I actually BELIEVED Lochan.... :'(

So be warned this tabooo brother/sister book will tear your heart out and make you fucking ugly-cry it out.

But it was well written.

I just like my HEA and I want my taboo books to not be so...fucking...real....

*sobs into tissues*

[Bianca]

At what point does a fly give up trying to escape through a closed window – do its survival instincts keep it going until it is physically capable of no more, or does it eventually learn after one crash too many that there is no way out? At what point do you decide that enough is enough?

— What a dark and disturbing book!

[Jo]

3.5 Stars.

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

WARNING! To review this book the way I want to, I need to include some slight spoilers. Please read no further if you're planning on reading this book and don't want it spoilt for you.

Most of the books I'm covered for the Sex Crimes part of Sex in Teen Lit Month are related to sexual assault, rape, and revenge porn, so this is a slight deviation from what you've been reading about. But it is a crime for family members to have sexual relationships with each other (well, except cousins, at least in the UK), so I thought this would be a good book to cover for the event. I knew it was going to be a difficult read, and it was. Sadly, it didn't amaze me like I hoped it would, but it's still a pretty good, though disturbing, story.

Maya and Lochan have it hard. Their dad left five years ago, and their mother is a selfish, neglectful alcoholic who is hardly ever around, so it's down to them to care for their younger siblings, Kit, Tiffin and Willa. They have to get them to school, pick them up, feed them, bath them, help with with their homework, play with them and sort out bedtimes, and do the household chores, as well as get to school themselves. They're desperate to keep social services from finding out, and only have each other to rely on. A bond has formed between them, stronger than that of any other brother and sister. Their bond develops into feelings siblings shouldn't have for each other, but Maya and Lochan find it difficult to resist the attraction between them. They want to express their love for each other, but how can they? It's against the law, it's incest.

Given it's subject matter, I've wanted to read Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma for quite a while, but also because of it's subject matter, I have been wary of it. It's not really something anyone wants to think about, is it? I am firmly in the "it's wrong!" camp, so I wasn't sure how I would react to reading this book. It made me quite uncomfortable, but because of their home life, I could understand it. The only person each has to rely on is the other. Their mother is abusive through her neglect, and having to deal with everything for five years - since Lochan was 12 and Maya was 11 - has brought the two closer, and, in my opinion, had a psychological affect on them - I don't believe they fell in love like any other couple would. I don't know if this is actually the case, I'm not a psychologist; I'm not sure if it's my own way of trying to justify and understand what happened, because I'm unable to accept or stomach the idea of two siblings falling in love that the actual truth for this story. I just found it really difficult to accept what they were doing; I felt sorry for them, but I had a problem with what they were doing. I really didn't like it when they were kissing, but when things went further, I wished they'd go back to kissing as it felt "safer", easier for me to deal with.

There's a point where Lochan has done some research into incest, which I found fascinating, but also, in my opinion, hints towards their psychological issues; he and Maya are different because of their home situation.

'There is actually precious little information to be found on consensual incest, though there is plenty on the non-consensual kind, which seems to be the only type most people think exists. I have thoroughly searched for online testimonies but found only two that had actually made it into the public domain - neither of them in the UK and both between siblings who met again as adults after being separated at birth.' (p335)

It wasn't just the fact that they were siblings that made me uncomfortable. Even if they weren't related, I'd still have serious problems with their relationship. It's so unhealthy! It's desperate and bordering on obsessive. Several times they try to keep away from each other in the romantic sense, but they struggle so much with it, they're so deeply unhappy they're almost like zombies, and it affects their health; Lochan has a panic attack when he tries to deal with staying away from Maya. This is not healthy! If this is not evidence that I'm kind of right, that there's some serious psychological issues going on with them... I don't know. It just made me so uncomfortable to read how desperately they wanted to be with each other - not sexually necessarily, just as a couple. There was no melodramatic, "I'll die without you!", but it had that kind of feel. They really just couldn't cope without each other.

Despite how uncomfortable the story made me, and my opinions of their relationship, as the book is told from the alternating points of view of both Maya and Lochan, I couldn't help but see where they were coming from. I felt for them, I felt sorry for them - again, because of problems I thought they had - but I still couldn't condone it, or root for them. Yet it still made me think, and question a few things.

'So many superficial liaisons surround me, so many guys just looking for sex, for another conquest to add to their brag-list before swiftly moving on. One might struggle to understand why anyone would embark on relationships that lack any real, meaningful emotion, yet nobody judges them for it. They are 'young', 'just having a good time', and sure, if that's what they want, why shouldn't they? But then why is it so terrible for me to be with the girl I love? Everyone else is permitted to have what they want, express their love as they please, without fear of harassment, ostracism, persecution or even the law. Even emotionally abusive, adulterous relationships are often tolerated, despite the harm they cause others. In our progressive, permissive society, all these harmful, unhealthy types of 'love' are allowed - but not ours. I can think of no other kind of love that is so totally rejected, even though ours is so deep, passionate, caring and strong that forcing us apart would cause us unimaginable pain. We are being punished by the world for just one simple reason: for having been produced by the same woman.' (p340-341)

There are a couple of sex scenes in Forbidden, though only one of actual penetration. Most of the sexual encounters are glossed over; you get the gist of what they're doing, but it's not so detailed as to know who's doing what to whom. The penetrative sex scene, however, is on the page. It's not too graphic, but you're told exactly what it going on. I have never felt so ill at ease while reading a sex scene. I was horrified, really, with every step, internally begging them to stop, to not go there, to not cross that line. I couldn't bear it. As a sex scene in a YA novel in general, it's pretty good; it's not gratuitous, and it's pretty realistic and honest. But because of the circumstances, I was just so disturbed by the whole thing, I wanted it to stop. I wanted them to stop. But there's no way this book could omit or gloss over the penetrative sex scene; it's needed for this story, it's needed for the reader's reaction.

Forbidden also has something to say about sexual abuse and the sexist ideas people have about it, and the discussion Lochan and Maya have is really interesting. Lochan and Maya know what they're doing is illegal, but, as shown in the following excerpt narrated by Maya, Lochan thinks people will believe that, rather than a consensual sexual relationship, what they have is abuse.

'"Abuse?" I exclaim in astonishment. "But who would be abusing who? In abuse, there's an attacker and a victim. How could we be seen as both abusers and abusees?"
[...]
"Maya, come on, think about it. I'd be automatically seen as the abuser and you the victim."
"Why?"
"How many cases of younger sisters sexually abusing older brothers have you read about? Come to think of it, how many female rapists and female paedophiles are there?"
"But that's crazy!" I exclaim. "I could have been the one to force you into a sexual relationship! Not physically, but by - I dunno - bribes, blackmail, threats, whatever! Are you saying that even if I'd abused you, people would still assume I was the victim just because I'm a girl and one year younger?"
Lochan nods slowly [...]. "Unless there was some really strong evidence to the contrary - an admission of guilt on your part, witnesses or something - then, yes."
"But that's so sexist, so unfair!" (p331)

I do wish their home situation was dealt with and worked out. As I've said, I think Lochan and Maya had issues that needed to be solved, and their issues at home solved - long before things got this far. They kept thinking that if social services found out about their mum's neglect, they would getting involved and put them into care. They were so sure that this would be a bad thing because they believed they would be split up, but I think that would have been better for everyone. I know the foster care system gets a lot of flack, but there are people out there who really care. My nan was a foster carer, so I know the difference a safe and secure home and being looked after by someone who genuinely cares can make. And even if they were split up, they would still get to see each other quite regularly. Going into care and getting to parents, and for the kids to see their older brother and sister as exactly that rather than as care-givers would have been better for their relationships. By the end of this book, I think everyone is so emotionally scarred by the situation they've been in for the past five years because of their mother. I would have liked to see this situation resolved, instead of just where things went for Maya and Lochan

There were some things about this book that just didn't sit right with me when it came to realism; I sometimes I had trouble believing Maya and Lochan as characters, they were just a bit too unrealistic sometimes. There were a lot of exclamation marks in this book, exclaiming things that didn't need to be and no-one talks like that. I "hear" dialogue when I read, so "hearing" them talk be so excited or tense or some other emotional extreme all the time, including when they were having just a normal conversation rather than an intense one about them, was so jarring. There were also things they said that teenagers just don't say. Maya, who is 16, would call Lochan "my love", and they would both refer to the younger children as "the little ones", all the time. An adult might say that, but definitely not a teenager - and even an adult wouldn't say it so often.

The ending was both surprising and unsurprising. A while throughout the book I wondered if it would end like it did in one way or another, but as I got closer to the end, I thought it must not, so when it did, I was a little shocked by it. Leading up to that, I finally started feeling really upset for Maya and Lochan. Despite everything I felt about them, in this moment, you can't help the anguish you feel for them, because of what you know they believe. It does get emotional, and I was moved. I wish there had been a different ending. I truly believe there was a different path their story could have taken, so I was so sad it went the way it did.

Although there were parts of the book I had trouble with, Forbidden is a really good book. It's disturbing and thought-provoking in turn, and a story you won't forget in a while.

Thank you to Definitions at Random House for the review copy.

[Amber]

Forbidden had been on my TBR shelf for ages – probably from about 2011, if not 2010 – and I finally felt the urge to pick it up when I was looking for fast contemporary books to read. As you’re all probably aware, Forbidden is a story about a brother and a sister who fall in love. It’s a very uncomfortable read, but I enjoyed it anyway.


Not gonna lie, I went into Forbidden wondering if I would ship the incest. I had read and watched a few reviews for this book before reading, and the book has been known to trouble people and to cause conflicting feelings. Thankfully, I didn’t ship anything which meant that I didn’t experience any interal conflict.

Forbidden is such a great book for book clubs and discussions, because everyone has a differing opinion on the story and the characters, particularly the incest aspect which causes controversy and many arguments.

Want my opinion? Well, I think the point of Forbidden was to show that abuse and neglect from a parent can psychologically affect and impair their child or children. I think that the incest in Forbidden between Lochan and Maya came about because the two of them were thrown together to raise their siblings after their father left them and their mother suffered from undiagnosed mental illness(es), resulting in neglect and also abuse. I definitely don’t think that Tabitha Suzuma was trying to say that people should be able to love whoever they like, even their siblings. I think she was pointing out the psychological effects such behaviour can have on children. You can particularly see this with Lochan, who was rather troubled to put it lightly.

Forbidden is a really good book for those reasons, although I didn’t think the writing style was all that great. It was all very average aside from the theme, and I don’t think I will be checking out any of Suzuma’s other works. I would recommend picking up Forbidden if you’re looking for a book that will make you think. If you have already read it then you should leave a comment so we can get a discussion going!

[boghunden]

This book was exactly what I thought it would be: a great read. What I didn't knew was that it'd be just as much about dysfunctional families as it was about a brother and sister in love. That really added to the story. I wanted to be disgusted by Maya and Lochan, what they felt, and what they did. I just couldn't. The thing is, I understood them. I get why they felt the way they did. How could they not? They were acting like the parents of their family already, and parents are often loving each other.

Even though I really liked this story, it was a bit predictable at times - I knew pretty early that one of the kids were gonna die. It'd have been even better if I hadn't predicted the ending, I think. There's no way this book could've had a happy ending; what would that be? Ending up together? Apart? What is a happy ending? I don't even know... I do have to say though, that I wished the ending would've been more clear and that I'd gotten more answers. It felt a bit rushed. I mean, what happened next? I don't know, but I want to!

This really is a sad story, but it didn't bring me to tears, even though it was close when the younger siblings asked about Lochan on the way to the funeral.

And just to be clear: this is a rather graphic book, and it deals with some serious stuff.

[ellieroth]

Buena historia, pero no lloré :/

[Stephanie]

Wow....That ending. It will definitely stay with me for awhile.

Why I Picked It Up: I won this book in a contest a while back. After seeing several bloggers that I like reading it and their reviews. I figured that I should get cracking and read it. The problem? Clearly this book is about a very taboo subject and I just wasn’t sure if I would like it.

What I Loved: Once I got passed the ick factor, I was able to see Lochan and Maya as people. I understand how it happened and by the time I was accepting of it, everything changed again. Suzuma is able to take the taboo of a sexual brother/sister relationship and show a different, more importantly believable, perspective. Does that mean I’m going to jump on the pro-incest bandwagon? Hell no! It still grosses me out but Suzuma does an excellent job playing with “what if?”

What I Could Have Lived Without: Well let’s face it, this book is about incest. I really could have done without the very graphic sex scene. Isn’t it enough to know that they are indeed doing the dirty?

Recommended For: Readers looking for a thought provoking read. Must be open-minded.

Avoid If: Things that go against social norms makes you uneasy.

[Angie]

This book was truly amazing. The final chapter and the epilogue had me in tears. I don't think any other book has hit me as hard as Forbidden. While this may be shelved as YA, it does deal with some heavy topics including alcoholism, neglect, and the big one...incest. That being said, this is not going to be for everyone, but I highly recommend it if you can go into it with an open-mind.

Honestly, to me, the relationship between Lochan and Maya did not seem dirty and wrong. It was obvious that they truly cared about each other very intensely, but the circumstances were just wrong. The chapters alternate between the view points of Lochan and Maya, so we get to spend a lot of time in each of their heads. And it was so interesting watching their feelings for each other slowly change and develop, and how they had to deal with them.

Being responsible for their three younger siblings made their relationship that much more complicated. There was a delicate balance between being able to express their feelings towards each other, but also making sure that their family stayed together. One wrong move, one glimpse at a moment of inappropriate contact from an outsider, could cause them to lose everything. This conflict caused quite a bit of push-and-pull between them, which at times was frustrating to read, but also completely understandable. Even though they loved each other immensely, they also loved their younger siblings and didn't want to lose them either.

I was a mess of emotions reading this. On one hand, I was happy that Lochan and Maya found someone to be so deeply in love and happy with. But on the other hand, I felt to sad for them because I knew it couldn't possible work out, despite all of their hoping. I definitely wasn't expecting the ending to happen as it did, but reading it, it felt like the right ending to this story, even if it was hard to swallow.

I'm not sure what else I can say that without giving away major spoilers, so I'll just end by saying give this book a chance. Yes, it's about a taboo subject, but it's handled very well, and will definitely pull at your emotions in one way or another.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

DNF @ 40%

*Review to come!*