Book Review: FORBIDDEN by Tabitha Suzuma

Forbidden
Author: Tabitha Suzuma
Publication Date: June 28, 2011 (Reprint, Hardcover)
Publisher: Simon Pulse (Reprint Edition)
Genre/Category: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

Summary on Goodreads:

LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDS….

Lochan and Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together, they have stepped in for their unreliable, alcoholic mother to take care of their three younger siblings. The stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be.

So close that they have fallen in love.

Lochan and Maya know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet they are powerless to stop what feels so incredibly right…

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

My Thoughts:

I finished Forbidden and I’m telling you, you might shed some tears when you finish this book. I just did! I couldn't believe it as I hurried to the bathroom so I can cry. This book is so, so sad. It’s been a while since I cried over a book. I'm not sure why... I was hurting while reading it and I just couldn't fight back my tears anymore after I finished the story. I'm not sure if I'm just being too emotional this time. People have different soft spot, and maybe the story just hit mine. I just went straight to the bathroom hugging this book and I let myself cry. After a while, I reread the last two chapters but I can’t seem to get enough of it. This book is incredibly beautiful.

But the downside to that taste of pure happiness is that, like a drug, a glimmer of paradise, it leaves you craving for more. And after that moment, nothing can ever be the same again.

I don’t remember anymore when and where I first saw this book. And I don’t remember my first reaction when I learned that it’s about the forbidden love between a brother and her sister. This wasn’t something I would normally read, much less enjoyed and you may wonder how I managed to love this story. There are some who felt disgusted and couldn’t even finish the book. You should be warned that this is not for everyone and I don’t recommend it to those who are repellent to this kind of controversial subject---sibling incest. 

“How can something so wrong feels so right?”

The story was alternately told by Lochan and Maya, and it helps the readers to see those two characters more deeply than any other way. It was powerfully written, so strong that it rips your heart. When I started reading this book, I was up until 2am. I couldn’t put it down! It was a tough and painful read. I was so tensed and excited to see how Lochan and Maya will admit their feelings to each other and then I was so worried that they will be caught. It gave me an uncomfortable feeling and truly an intense one! 

….and all the air exits my lungs and I cannot muster the strength to fill them again. If I keep breathing, then I have to keep living, and if I keep living, then I have to keep hurting, and I can’t---not like this.

I felt devastatingly sad for Lochan and Maya. At such an early age, they became parents for their three younger siblings—Kit, 13. Tiffin, 8. And Willa, 5. The overwhelming stress brought by their circumstances made them understand each other in a way no one else can. They were bestfriends, soulmates, and they became lovers. Unfortunately, they were born by the same mother. This brought up even more troubles to their family.

I can’t tell you how exactly this book made me feel. It’s a mixture of different emotions but most of the time I feel depressed and sad for those unfortunate characters. I wonder why there are people who seems to skate through life with ease, while these people seem to be carrying all the burdens of the world. I ached for lovable Willa, for Tiffin, and for Kit. Most of all I ached for Lochan and Maya, for enduring such hardships and terrible fate.  

I don’t want to give anything away that might spoil your future reading, but I think I need to mention that this book could really be disgusting. Just imagine kissing, cuddling and much less sex between siblings. I’m relieved that somehow I managed to read them without feeling disgusted at all. I knew what to expect  in the story and I didn't pictured the two characters as siblings but lovers instead. I’d say it’s easier that way so you won’t be troubled or shocked by what you might encountered :) Just don’t concentrate on their sibling relationship because honestly, it could really be gross! 

Again, you should be warned before trying to pick up this book. This novel is so intense, heartbreaking and thought-provoking. In the end, you may question things you thought you believed in. It is something that will stay in your memory--a disturbingly beautiful story.

My Rating: