Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

I have just read a controversial and beautifully written book entitled Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. This is a new Young Adult book which is slotted for June 2011 publication in the United States. Already it has been nominated for the 2011 Carnegie Medal.

Forbidden is a story about consensual incest between a brother and sister, but it is more than that. These characters are finely drawn, their situation realistically rendered and their voices resonate with emotion. The book uses dual narrators to tell the story, Lochan(the panic stricken 17 year old brother) and Maya (the more well adjusted 16 year old sister). Lochan and Maya are ostensibly the caretakers of their three younger siblings. They are moving through life as parent figures (their Father abandoned them early on and now their Mother is doing the same thing). The stress of going to school, taking care of three younger siblings and worrying about social services causes Lochan and Maya to depend on each other in an unusually deep and close way. They do not think they can exist without the other, and through this dependency they begin to realize they have fallen in love.

This is a tough subject, but Suzuma writes in such a beautiful and realistic tone(especially in regard to emotion), that the reader finds himself or herself rooting for this love to succeed.

This story is Shakespearean in it's tragedy, but it never sounds a false note. At heart it is a love story, compelling, disturbing and ultimately haunting.

Recommended for older Teens who would like to tackle a controversial subject and read a very well written book. This story will stay with them long after the final page is turned.