Forbidden [Hardcover]

Despite the heart on the cover this book is tough, brave, risky and above all tremendously powerful. It is about two young people who fall in love . . . but because they are brother and sister their love is doomed from the start. It is incest - a harsh and ugly word synonymous with rape and abuse. Yet Lochan and Maya's love is anything but. I never thought I'd find myself rooting for a brother and sister to be allowed to be lovers but somehow Tabitha Suzuma creates a love so beautiful, pure and strong between two such kind, empathic, brave characters that I found myself desperately hoping for the happy ending I knew could never come. More than just a tragic love story, this is a tale of two teenagers fighting against the world: child carers, abandoned by their parents, struggling to bring up their younger siblings and keep them from being taken into care. Despite still being school kids, they are forced to act as adults, as parents, and when they turn to each other for support and comfort it feels almost inevitable that their love for each other should turn to romance, or as Maya puts it, 'every kind of love that exists.'

The book is a true tour de force, extremely clever in that it takes such a taboo subject and turns it on its head. No matter how disgusting and wrong you may think incest is, I challenge you to read this book and not find yourself fervently wishing that Lochan and Maya could somehow find a way to be together. It makes you re-think the whole notion of consensual incest and realise that it does exist, it does happen and what terrible pain and tragedy it can lead to for those who find themselves caught up in it. Most of all though, this is a book that makes you feel with every page, every word: Suzuma's writing is filled with such beauty and despair, such longing and hope, that somehow when you reach the end, far far too quickly, you feel as if you've been on an incredible journey, lived another life, and come back to your ordinary world a changed and better person. It truly is a life-changing read.

"He is my soul mate, my fresh air, the reason I look forward to getting up every morning."

Maya and Lochan have known each other their entire lives. They've been each others rock, soul mate and best friend. Maya's pretty and kind, sweet sixteen and never been kissed. Lochan is gorgeous, generous and super intelligent and now they've fallen in love. This couple should be destined to be together, except they never can be... because they are brother and sister.

When I first found out about this book I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read it or not. I like to think that I'm a pretty open minded person but just the thought of incest turns my stomach and makes me a little queasy but because there's nothing else quiet like this out there at the moment and because of all the rave reviews I decided to put my personal feelings to the side and read this book. Boy am I glad that I did!

Before reading this book I like many people thought of incest as a taboo subject, but after reading this it's completely changed my opinion on it. Not all incest is as black and white as it may seem, especially that of the consensual type and this book fills in all of those shades of grey in between. It wasn't until I was half way through reading this that I realised that I didn't find Maya and Lochan's relationship sick or repulsive at all - in fact quiet the opposite! I was desperate for them to be together and find a way to figure everything out and ultimately found their situation sad and unfortunate. Like Lochan and Maya I never saw them as brother and sister but as star crossed lovers who had so much against them. They were two normal, wonderful people who I just wanted the best for and if that was with each other then so be it. Their relationship wasn't all that sexual which just showed that above all they deeply loved each other and just wanted to be able to be a proper couple. All they wanted was to be accepted and to be able to do all the things that a normal boyfriend and girlfriend take for granted. It actually shocked me that Lochan and Maya could go to prison for something they had no control over. You can't choose who you fall in love with and it made me think that if homosexuals are allowed to love each other and transsexuals are allowed to defy the `norm' because of feelings they cant control then why on earth are not only Lochan and Maya not allowed to be together but face a prison sentence because of it? Why, if under some circumstances and if an incest relationship is consensual and they aren't hurting each other or other people must they be punished for that? Ultimately it's not about if their relationship is wrong or right - that could be debated back and forth forever. It's about why should they be punished so harshly for something they can't control?

Maya and Lochan try numerous times to end their relationship but can you imagine trying to get over someone who's been a part of you for your entire life? Who you've loved for as long as you can remember? Who you never get chance to get away from because you live under the same roof? It would take two very strong people to push that aside so it's no wonder that they always ended up back together. Tabitha Suzuma's writing is exquisite and you can definitely feel the love that Lochan and Maya share. I cried so many times whilst reading this book especially towards the end. The ending was perfect- sad - but perfect, I think it ended how it had to end. I'm so glad that I bought another of Tabitha's books along with this one because Forbidden has definitely become one of my favourite books of all time and I can see Tabitha becoming one of my very favourite authors if the rest of her books are even half as good as Forbidden. This isn't an easy read. Far from it, but it's one of those books that demands to be read. It'll change the way you think. It'll have you falling in love with the characters. It will have you weeping with the unfairness of it all. There's not really much more I can say about it other than forget your vampires and humans, jocks and geeks, Forbidden is the ultimate forbidden love story and you'd be crazy to miss out on it. 5 stars.

Usually when the blurb of a book guarantees you will remember it long after you have put it down, I tend to take it with a pinch of salt since it is designed to pique the interest and draw in new readers. In the case of Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma, this comment is 100% true: I finished this book last night, at two in the morning, having been unable to put it down over the preceding four hours, tears wet on my face, and I don't think I will ever forget it.

The story of Maya and Lochan and their forbidden love is told in alternate viewpoints, which I think adds to the depth of the book. You hear their own impressions about the situation; their own battle against their feelings; you learn it is completely consensual. They truly believe they are falling in love with each other.

The subject of the book makes for incredibly tough reading, but Suzuma handles it with sensitivity and grace. Not once did I feel that this novel had been written with sensationalism in mind, or a desire to shock. It does shock - how can it not when dealing with incest? - but you find yourself drawn into the decisions that Maya and Lochan make. At times I even found myself questioning why it would be so bad for them to start a relationship, which then made me feel very ill (I think anyone with a sibling can particularly relate to me there). This most certainly is one of the last taboos, and Suzuma brought it into the light and examined it carefully and with logical reasons for every motivation her characters had.

Suzuma does an excellent job drawing these characters: they are three dimensional, fragile and very human. My one minor complaint was that sometimes it became a little difficult to hear the difference in voice between the two characters in the alternate viewpoints, but this was surmountable. Not only are Maya and Lochan powerfully-written, but Suzuma works hard to make the more peripheral characters people you believe in and want to read about. Kit, especially, is someone you hate at times, but empathise with.

Not only did Suzuma deal with the central tangle of incest, she also covered abandonment, depression and social anxiety: issues that a large number of teenagers will be handling silently. This is an incredibly powerful book that I think should be read by a large audience, so that they realise they are not alone when they suffer panic attacks and feel as though it is an effort to make it through each day. Suzuma pulls on her own experiences to provide poignancy and authenticity to the suffering of Lochan, in particular.

The ending made me cry - seriously, I bawled my eyes out. I find it rare that a book is so affecting it brings me to tears, but in this case I felt I had travelled a journey with these characters. I believe it is the highest compliment to pay an author when I say: I lived through these characters as I read Forbidden.

I would strongly suggest that younger readers do not tackle this thanks to the difficult scenes within Forbidden's pages, but I find myself recommending this to all other readers. It is tough, sensitive and very vulnerable. Essential reading.