How can something so wrong feel so right?
The book is a beautifully crafted tragic story. Tabitha Suzuma does great in telling a story that is full of remorse, sadness, love, and all kinds of things that are unimaginable. Her way of describing scenes and emotions are so intricate, you can feel them happening right before your eyes, almost touch the characters, and feel like you’re in the scene..just like when you’re in your dreams..
When I first encountered this book I thought the story was sick! Really really Forbidden. Then I can almost hear the challenge in some reviews I’ve read, that this is not for the faint-hearted or something like that, and I wanted to take the challenge and said to myself, I can finish this. And now I have, and I don’t know if I regret reading it or glad to have finished it.
First of all, it was consensual incest. Still, many times in the book, even before they knew what feeling they had of each other, I already felt revolted and disgusted with what was to come. NO amount of preparation prepared me with reading the sentences that revealed the truth about their feelings for each other. Every time they kiss, I do this grimace and ruin my face by sticking my tongue out reenacting like I was going to puke *ech*. gosh. I probably did it more than 10 times! lol.
IN the middle of their romance, I finally kinda tolerate them and even suggest they go to another country and start anew (even before Lochan thought of this). I sometimes forget their siblings, I intentionally made myself think they’re not siblings so as not to revolt myself. However, my stupid conscious mind keeps on reminding me they’re brothers and sisters and I do the puking action thing again.
When it comes to their relationship with their other siblings, I salute them for having the courage to tolerate everyday and acting as surrogate parents. They love their family so much they sacrifice everything to keep it together. There were moments in the book where Lochan’s ability to lead the family is questioned when he hurt Kit, and the accident with Willa. ( i have to say, i thought he was going mad). The uniqueness of the story was brought more forward when Lochan is a socially inept ( i personally can’t imagine his struggle, because I’m a very talkative person..)emotionally drained, intellectually gifted teenager. His situation was just brutal, I couldn’t take it at times that I resume to watch Vampire diaries and My Princess (korean drama) to help me cope,lol. Nevertheless, he’s such a good brother, nobody could defy that.
Their parents. gosh! I sincerely hope there are no parents such as them in the world however, I know there are a lot. I thought its kind of unfair that irresponsible people get to have children while there are loads of people who deserve to be parents yet fate is so bitter, they can’t bear any children. Well, anyway, I hate their mother, their father. I hated their mother more to the highest level when she called the police and everything, and after everything, she abandoned her children totally! She’s such a disgusting person! What kind of a mother would do that? she says she’s just giving time for herself, but she’s selfish! I mean for me, what she did to her family was worse than what the couple did.
And now that I think about it, I think Lochan and Maya doesn’t think of themselves as siblings. Though the notion that what they’re doing is socially unacceptable, but if its just the two of them, and knowing the deepest recesses of their hearts, their love is pure. Except that I wish didn’t have sex. I really couldn’t stand that point.
The ending. gosh, the ending. The end of everything is found at the end of the book., well of course (duh! it’s clearly not in the middle). Anyway, suffice to say I HATE THE ENDING. Who does? When Kit said sorry and all, I started crying (but I cried in a way I didn’t expect- i just cried, but no wailing! ha!) Anyway, it would have been justifiable if one of them just got imprisoned. Why did one have to commit suicide? I really hate the idea of suicide. I’d rather have he died in an accident than that. I’m so so against suicide! WAaah. I really hate it. I thought he was going to escape outside the prison, I didn’t know, it was another kind of escape. The reason for his actions might be “brave” but his choice of acting upon it was not.at.all. brave. He could have fought for them. He could still retract his statement and just let the authorities see them as whatever, and be imprisoned for 2 years or so, then they could take back their siblings. I know from my own opinion and am sure that his siblings will support him and their sentence will be lessened and they can get through that trial. gosh! He really was such thinking of the worst scenario. He didn’t have much faith on that matter.
And so I learned that never ever think of the worst case scenario. WHILE it may be good to prepare, but never give up hope. HOPE is such a positive thing. I mean my dad has cancer advanced stage: though we cried, but we have a positive hope about it. I know that “FORBIDDEN” is just a story, but I hope nobody took the tragic ending so much from their hearts, AND I HOPE the READERS learned that in desperate times, DO NOT COMMIT SUICIDE! (haha), I mean seriously, you escape , but think of the people you left behind. Look at Maya, she even thought of killing herself, good thing she changed her mind. It’s one thing to sacrifice everything, but PLEASE I’m begging, no more suicides please!
Though an appalling story, the book was great, I have to say.