When a rebellious young widow refuses to abort her unborn daughter despite her in-laws’ dictate to destroy the fetus, she ends up facing the most dangerous battle of her life, but one idealistic doctor is destined to become her savior. The Forbidden Daughter weaves romance and intrigue around the theme of female fetus abortion and its devastating effects on contemporary Indian society
THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER is romantic women’s fiction set against the exotic landscape of India. It tells the story of one young mother who refuses to obey her in-laws’ dictate to abort her unborn second daughter. When her husband becomes the victim of a mysterious murder plot, leaving her with one daughter and another on the way, her only option is to leave her tyrannical in-laws and raise her girls on her own. But unexpected danger threatens to rip apart her new life. Suddenly the stakes become impossibly high and there is only one man who can save her from the impending threat.
Professional Reviews
The Forbidden Daughter
THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER - Shobhan Bantwal
Kensington Books
ISBN: 978-0-7582-2030-1
September 2008
Contemporary Fiction
Palgaum, India - Present Day
The world has crashed down upon Isha Tilak, and she's gone to pray for
guidance at a local temple. The ancient holy man who has always been outside,
seemingly in constant meditation, suddenly speaks to her, telling her when her
baby will be born and how she will bring joy to the people around her. But to
Isha, this doesn't make sense. Her husband has been murdered in his office;
her in-laws -- with whom Isha (her husband, Nikhil, before his death) and their
daughter live -- want her to get an abortion because she carries another
girl. Having nowhere to turn, Isha can hardly believe the holy man's words. Numb
to everything, she returns home, only knowing the pain and grief she carries
in addition to the baby.
Nikhil's parents have treated his wife and daughter with disdain ever since
Isha gave birth to a baby girl. Their old-fashioned opinion that only boy
children mean anything has caused a rift between Isha and her in-laws, now made
more difficult because she no longer has Nikhil to stand up for her and their
daughter. To make matters worse, the elder Tilaks believe the baby Isha
carries now is somehow to blame for her father's death. When her father-in-law
spanks her daughter for crying, Isha knows she must leave this distasteful
environment. She flees to the only place she can, the convent where she went to
school. Knowing that Nikhil recently took out an insurance policy on himself,
Isha hopes it will be settled quickly so that she can move on with her life.
All along, though, she wonders if Nikhil's death is related to the fact that
her physician asked her if she wanted an abortion to rid herself of the
female fetus? Although abortion, and especially female feticide, is against the
law, the doctor obviously does them. Nikhil was infuriated by this and vowed to
see the man punished. Not long afterwards, Nikhil was killed.
Alone, pregnant, and with a young child in tow, Isha must overcome terrible
odds if she is to survive. When the baby is born, the nuns bring in a young
doctor who tends to the orphans living at the convent to examine the infant.
To Isha's surprise, it is Harish Salvi, with whom she went to college. He is
stunned to find the girl he'd had a crush on living in such dire straits, and
he begins to bring her and her children food, medicine, and other
necessities. Isha is touched, but is afraid that the secret she has discovered in her
husband's papers will cause all those around her to be in danger. What will
happen if Isha reveals what she knows?
THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER is an enlightening tale of a dark subject. Because of
the feticide caused by the old beliefs, the use of ultrasounds to determine
gender has been banned, although there are still unscrupulous people who
participate in this horrible crime. Isha is a well educated, intelligent young
woman who finds herself having to defend her daughters and to learn to lead a
life entirely different from the upper-class existence she is used to. Harish
is an idealistic, noble young doctor who devotes himself to his work until he
meets Isha again. He cannot ignore her plight and doesn't. Isha's in-laws
are old-fashioned, narrow-minded, and unwilling to embrace the future. The
villains are the antiquated ways and the gynecologist who has sold his soul for
money.
Beautifully written, with realistic dialogue and characters who will make
your heart ache at times, THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER is a worthy successor to Ms.
Bantwal's first novel, THE DOWRY BRIDE. Both books are most highly recommended.
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