Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives--and the way they understand each other so completely--has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.
Forbidden
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives--and the way they understand each other so completely--has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.
Amazon Exclusive: Stephanie Perkins Reviews Forbidden
Stephanie Perkins is the author of the young adult novel Anna and the French Kiss. The companion book, Lola and the Boy Next Door, will be released September 29, 2011. Read her exclusive guest review of Forbidden:
Amazon Exclusive: Stephanie Perkins Reviews Forbidden
Stephanie Perkins is the author of the young adult novel Anna and the French Kiss. The companion book, Lola and the Boy Next Door, will be released September 29, 2011. Read her exclusive guest review of Forbidden:
Tabitha Suzuma has crafted a harrowing, sexy, heart wrenching, and heartbreaking masterwork about one of our last remaining taboos. Lochan and Maya are the oldest children of an alcoholic, absentee mother. The burden of raising their three younger siblings has fallen upon them, and they have been forced to mature into parents. As their friendship is strengthened, and as they become dependent upon one another for survival, their parental relationship develops into a new stage: romantic love.
An alternating first-person narration immerses the reader deep inside the hearts of the characters. Suzuma takes great care to help us understand how such a situation could arise and allows us to be sympathetic for it--even root for it--though we know, just as Lochan and Maya know, that the future of a Happily Ever After is unlikely.
This is a powerful novel about love in all of its forms. About teenagers forced to become adults, and about children forced to acknowledge new parents. Particularly stressful is the second oldest boy, Kit, whose every appearance carries an impending sense of disaster.
Forbidden never let me set it down. It never let me stop worrying. And it never let me stop hoping for the best. --Stephanie Perkins
Review
"Ms. Suzuma’s ability to dig so deeply into the various layers of human need and desire across several strata—physical, emotional, situational—renders a cringe-worthy premise another human experience to evaluate. The poignant and shocking ending will leave the reader pondering this story long after the final page is turned." --New York Journal of Books
"The novel’s surprises continue to the very end, and the secondary characters are well developed, including the needy younger siblings, who are shown in all their anger, sweetness, and rebellion. Most of all, though, it’s Lochan’s and Maya’s alternating first-person, present-tense narratives, both tender and heartbreaking, that will stay with readers." — Booklist
"There is nothing about this novel that is easy, but readers who snag the book for the controversy will stick around for the polished writing and compelling character development." --BCCB
"The novel’s surprises continue to the very end, and the secondary characters are well developed, including the needy younger siblings, who are shown in all their anger, sweetness, and rebellion. Most of all, though, it’s Lochan’s and Maya’s alternating first-person, present-tense narratives, both tender and heartbreaking, that will stay with readers." — Booklist
"There is nothing about this novel that is easy, but readers who snag the book for the controversy will stick around for the polished writing and compelling character development." --BCCB
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By TeensReadToo
Format:Paperback
Gold Star Award Winner!
Lochan and Maya are brother and sister. Their three younger siblings depend on them ever since their dad left them and their mother no longer cares for them. With the pressure of this enormous responsibility, Maya and Lochan turn to each other. They find solace and comfort, but they find so much more than that. They find love. Not just sibling love, but real emotional, physical love. How can they love each other when the rest of the world sees their actions as disgusting and vile?
FORBIDDEN deals with an incredibly controversial subject, and readers should be warned. Lochan and Maya are brother and sister, but they love each other in the way that any normal couple would. The first half of the book doesn't even touch the subject; it sets the scene with depictions of a family falling apart and a set of siblings doing all they can to hold it together. The second half delves into their incestuous relationship and the torrent of emotions and consequences that come along with it.
Though this type of relationship is looked down upon by society, I couldn't help but hope that Maya and Lochan would work out. Their love was deeper than any other I've encountered and it was truly real because of everything they had suffered through together. It was hard to accept the fact that they were related, but also easy at the same time. Their relationship, as you can imagine, pushed boundaries to their breaking points. The emotional side balanced with the physical side. The thoughts of each character were drawn out and talked about comprehensively. They were real people with honest emotions.
This is one of those books that will rip apart your heart and make you question everything you've ever believed in. By the novel's end I was in tears. The story was shocking and difficult at times, but it was worth it. FORBIDDEN is a stunning read that shouldn't be missed. I highly recommend it.
**Please note: FORBIDDEN includes a disclaimer that the story isn't suitable for younger readers.
Reviewed by: McKenzie Tritt
Lochan and Maya are brother and sister. Their three younger siblings depend on them ever since their dad left them and their mother no longer cares for them. With the pressure of this enormous responsibility, Maya and Lochan turn to each other. They find solace and comfort, but they find so much more than that. They find love. Not just sibling love, but real emotional, physical love. How can they love each other when the rest of the world sees their actions as disgusting and vile?
FORBIDDEN deals with an incredibly controversial subject, and readers should be warned. Lochan and Maya are brother and sister, but they love each other in the way that any normal couple would. The first half of the book doesn't even touch the subject; it sets the scene with depictions of a family falling apart and a set of siblings doing all they can to hold it together. The second half delves into their incestuous relationship and the torrent of emotions and consequences that come along with it.
Though this type of relationship is looked down upon by society, I couldn't help but hope that Maya and Lochan would work out. Their love was deeper than any other I've encountered and it was truly real because of everything they had suffered through together. It was hard to accept the fact that they were related, but also easy at the same time. Their relationship, as you can imagine, pushed boundaries to their breaking points. The emotional side balanced with the physical side. The thoughts of each character were drawn out and talked about comprehensively. They were real people with honest emotions.
This is one of those books that will rip apart your heart and make you question everything you've ever believed in. By the novel's end I was in tears. The story was shocking and difficult at times, but it was worth it. FORBIDDEN is a stunning read that shouldn't be missed. I highly recommend it.
**Please note: FORBIDDEN includes a disclaimer that the story isn't suitable for younger readers.
Reviewed by: McKenzie Tritt
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was casually browsing through the bookstore with a friend when I happend appon this book. I loved the cover, but was totally put off with the book's discription. How could someone write a book about incest? I turned around and left the store, but the thought kept popping up in my head, so I went and read the reviews for the book at Amazon. Not bad. Still, there was something that repulsed me as well as drew me to the idea of this book and in the end, curiosity won. I bought the ebook and read it cover to cover within 2 days. I could not put it down. I started to love the two main characters and started seeing their situation from their point of view. I started wishing that someway there could be a happy ending for them. That they would end up together, for how could a love so pure, be so wrong? I finished the book in my lunch hour at work and cried so hard that I nearly did not make it through the rest of the day. The ending floored me! I loved it! I hate it! I want more! I want to now what happened a year later. I dont want it to end this way! What I learned from this book, is to literaly not judge a book by it's cover. This book will pull your heart strings and make you think twice. A fabulous read!
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By PK Reeves
Format:Kindle Edition
Lochan Whitely is only seventeen, on the cusp of turning eighteen, and he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. As the eldest of the Whitley children, he juggles with the task of being a replacement father figure for his younger siblings: thirteen year old Kip, Tiffen, and five year old Willa. Through it all, his sixteen year old sister Maya has been his sole consolation in finding peace in the chaos of managing a family, where an errant mother's responsibility is thrown to the wind.
Lochan and Maya find themselves hard pressed to hide the reality of their mother's care since Social Service is only a knock away from taking their family unity and separating them permanently. A mother, whose only source of gratification is her own pleasure, desperately clinging to the nostalgic semblances of her past beauty and power to attract the wrong type of men. Her children are at the bottom ladder of priority, rather they hinder her pursuits and viewed as a sore source of cash expense. Imbibed and completely lacking of maternal instincts, she strives to break Lochan's spirit at every turn.
Through many intense and dysfunctional hardships, the two siblings Lochan and Maya discover love, however it is a love that neither can approach without fear of reprisals. They discover that "love" knows no boundaries, nor can they stop their hearts from beating for they have fallen in love with each other.
**********************************************************
Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden can only be described as mesmerizingly tragic tale of love. She engulfs you with brilliant writing and exudes a profound talent for taking your breath away as you embark in this very highly emotionally charged tale of forbidden love. The plot is a fully charged and loaded gun that's going to blast you into smithereens for the very topic it demands the reader to confront.
Her distinctive style is paramount for her imagery and turbulence of teenage angst. Lochan and Maya are tragic lovers who have fallen in love in what is an impossibly insane & frighteningly immorally incestuous relationship. At the onset, I was appalled by the very thought, yet as the story progressed I found myself unequivocally haunted by their plight. Little by little, I came to believe that perhaps their story had a meaning that could not be explained nor justified by the moral standards of our society. Their love could not be denied nor vilified since their realities made them who they were.
I loved the innocence carried by both main characters, Lochan and Maya. They were victims of circumstances and had fate been kind they would have chosen differently. It is this shared life experience that made them turn to each other, hence the passionate convictions that endorsed their love despite the indignation of blood ties. Their strength and commitment to love is unbreakable and I could not help but wish for the plausible "if".
Considering the topic, this novel may not be your conventional type of read, but if you do want to take a chance... This is a book you will never forget.
As much as I cringed and screamed a litany of curses from "how could they???" "what in the world can they be thinking??" "He's her brother!" "She's his sister!" and "Don't go there!", I found myself desperately clinging to hope. A hope that they might be able to disappear completely from their harsh world to newfound identities elsewhere. As terrible as it may sound, I wanted them to be free to love far away from all the backlash of society's rules.
Now that is a feat in itself, this is what Tabitha Suzuma has been able to subtly accomplish via her words. She has won over my allegiance for Lochan and Maya's tale of love. Forbidden will haunt you long after you have finished the last word. Thought provoking and breathtakingly well written.
I tore through it in one sitting and could not tear myself away. I felt as if I were possessed by her words and when I did finish, I felt obsessed by one thought... "What if".... What if the implausible could be plausible... "What if?'"
Lochan and Maya find themselves hard pressed to hide the reality of their mother's care since Social Service is only a knock away from taking their family unity and separating them permanently. A mother, whose only source of gratification is her own pleasure, desperately clinging to the nostalgic semblances of her past beauty and power to attract the wrong type of men. Her children are at the bottom ladder of priority, rather they hinder her pursuits and viewed as a sore source of cash expense. Imbibed and completely lacking of maternal instincts, she strives to break Lochan's spirit at every turn.
Through many intense and dysfunctional hardships, the two siblings Lochan and Maya discover love, however it is a love that neither can approach without fear of reprisals. They discover that "love" knows no boundaries, nor can they stop their hearts from beating for they have fallen in love with each other.
**********************************************************
Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden can only be described as mesmerizingly tragic tale of love. She engulfs you with brilliant writing and exudes a profound talent for taking your breath away as you embark in this very highly emotionally charged tale of forbidden love. The plot is a fully charged and loaded gun that's going to blast you into smithereens for the very topic it demands the reader to confront.
Her distinctive style is paramount for her imagery and turbulence of teenage angst. Lochan and Maya are tragic lovers who have fallen in love in what is an impossibly insane & frighteningly immorally incestuous relationship. At the onset, I was appalled by the very thought, yet as the story progressed I found myself unequivocally haunted by their plight. Little by little, I came to believe that perhaps their story had a meaning that could not be explained nor justified by the moral standards of our society. Their love could not be denied nor vilified since their realities made them who they were.
I loved the innocence carried by both main characters, Lochan and Maya. They were victims of circumstances and had fate been kind they would have chosen differently. It is this shared life experience that made them turn to each other, hence the passionate convictions that endorsed their love despite the indignation of blood ties. Their strength and commitment to love is unbreakable and I could not help but wish for the plausible "if".
Considering the topic, this novel may not be your conventional type of read, but if you do want to take a chance... This is a book you will never forget.
As much as I cringed and screamed a litany of curses from "how could they???" "what in the world can they be thinking??" "He's her brother!" "She's his sister!" and "Don't go there!", I found myself desperately clinging to hope. A hope that they might be able to disappear completely from their harsh world to newfound identities elsewhere. As terrible as it may sound, I wanted them to be free to love far away from all the backlash of society's rules.
Now that is a feat in itself, this is what Tabitha Suzuma has been able to subtly accomplish via her words. She has won over my allegiance for Lochan and Maya's tale of love. Forbidden will haunt you long after you have finished the last word. Thought provoking and breathtakingly well written.
I tore through it in one sitting and could not tear myself away. I felt as if I were possessed by her words and when I did finish, I felt obsessed by one thought... "What if".... What if the implausible could be plausible... "What if?'"
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT READ
Forbidden By Tabitha Suzuma
I liked this book because it was such a well written book that is a tabu subject I did not not like this book it was a sob fest and run high... Read more
I liked this book because it was such a well written book that is a tabu subject I did not not like this book it was a sob fest and run high... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Amy Page
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Read
Wow, this books is so well written. I have never cry so much reading a book. Heartbreaking. The end is so painful, I barely finished reading because all the tears running down my... Read more
Published 5 days ago by Zahily Rodriguez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Weird but amazing
So this book subject is obviously very taboo but you find yourself on their side because the author shows them more as partners helping one another then kids as brother and sister... Read more
Published 7 days ago by jscaboo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Emotionally gripping and impeccably written
Quote: Out of the millions and millions of people that inhabit this planet, he is one of the tiny few I can never have. Read more
Published 8 days ago by P. Godwin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Controvesial, tragic and heartbreaking
"At the end of the day it's about how much you can bear, how much you can endure. Being together, we harm nobody; being apart, we extinguish ourselves. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Jovana J
5.0 out of 5 stars
A risky move that pays off-- a hauntingly poignant masterpiece about...
I want to thank Winterhaven Books, a wonderful blog, who hosted a terrific interview with the author, Tabitha Suzuma. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Christina (Ensconced in YA)
2.0 out of 5 stars
2-1/2 stars for needless stupidity
I realize that I am not quite the audience that this book is intended for, but I have read and enjoyed a fair amount of young/new-adult literature in the last few years ("The... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Novel Addict
4.0 out of 5 stars
This book is dark and deeply disturbing...yet beautiful...
This story. This story ripped my heart out, stomped on it, then tried to put it back into my chest.
I almost didn't pick this book up. Read more
I almost didn't pick this book up. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Cricket
5.0 out of 5 stars
MUST READ!
Don't let the blurb put you off this is an amazing book that will take you on an emotional journey. I cried so much through out this book and I never cry for books even heart... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Onika
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's new but with a small flaw.
I purchased this book "NEW", it was, nothing was wrong with it besides a big black sharpee mark on the top of the pages. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Amadork
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