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The Forbidden One
Desire enchants! Irrespective of what that desire is for and no matter how correct or blatantly wrong it seems to the world around us - it leaves us stirred. The more we try to resist it, the more irresistible it becomes till there comes a moment when we actually have to take a call whether to draw lines or to cross those intimidating boundaries. The Forbidden One is for all those who believe that one can feel to be alive only when one takes that leap of faith to cross the barriers to your moment of truth. The Forbidden One is also for those who haven’t fulfilled their forbidden dream as yet and are on that cusp of time to take their chances.
The Forbidden One is a compilation of short stories - the chronicle of characters who, in some way or the other, are either excluded or restrained or tattooed ‘promiscuous’ by the society. Malicious and primitive in its ways, pushing such people on the periphery is bourgeois. Yet such people have a life of their own and as we go delve deeper into the lives of these characters we discover strengths, self-belief and even a sense of ease with which these characters go about their daily chores. Each of the ten tales here is set in the deep ocean of human emotions. Except that some of these emotions find their expressions in forms that are supposed to be suppressed as per the norms and inherited wisdom of the society.
The Forbidden One is a compilation of short stories - the chronicle of characters who, in some way or the other, are either excluded or restrained or tattooed ‘promiscuous’ by the society. Malicious and primitive in its ways, pushing such people on the periphery is bourgeois. Yet such people have a life of their own and as we go delve deeper into the lives of these characters we discover strengths, self-belief and even a sense of ease with which these characters go about their daily chores. Each of the ten tales here is set in the deep ocean of human emotions. Except that some of these emotions find their expressions in forms that are supposed to be suppressed as per the norms and inherited wisdom of the society.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 20, 2015
Check out the complete review at Views She Writes - WordPress Review
The reference to this review is broadcasted on India Post Live on the show "Interview With the Author", Check it out at Interview with Zaara Khader on India Post Live
The Forbidden one is a novel consisting of 10 short stories, each consisting of a very strong message - either a social issue is being addressed or a socially condoned act is portrayed in a classy manner. Each of the stories has something to say other than the mere meaning of the words. There is a lot of Food for Thought in the stories of the novel.
Be it the simple story of a husband and wife, or the love a devotee has for her favorite God, or an almost extra marital affair, or the wish to follow your dream against those of your family / society, or female infanticide - such issues are addressed rather delicately but artistically in the 10 stories. There are stories and sentences in those stories which feel like an art is being crafted with black ink on white paper.
The moment you feel like you are losing yourself in the characters of the stories is the moment when you get the true essence of the book. The way the characters are molded in those lines feel so natural that it feels more like narration of a true incident than a story. Most of them, in fact all of the stories can almost be true stories. Zaara has made a wonderful compilation of the stories and strikes the crucial matters beautifully. It is a read-to-believe kind of book.
Must try definitely.
The reference to this review is broadcasted on India Post Live on the show "Interview With the Author", Check it out at Interview with Zaara Khader on India Post Live
The Forbidden one is a novel consisting of 10 short stories, each consisting of a very strong message - either a social issue is being addressed or a socially condoned act is portrayed in a classy manner. Each of the stories has something to say other than the mere meaning of the words. There is a lot of Food for Thought in the stories of the novel.
Be it the simple story of a husband and wife, or the love a devotee has for her favorite God, or an almost extra marital affair, or the wish to follow your dream against those of your family / society, or female infanticide - such issues are addressed rather delicately but artistically in the 10 stories. There are stories and sentences in those stories which feel like an art is being crafted with black ink on white paper.
The moment you feel like you are losing yourself in the characters of the stories is the moment when you get the true essence of the book. The way the characters are molded in those lines feel so natural that it feels more like narration of a true incident than a story. Most of them, in fact all of the stories can almost be true stories. Zaara has made a wonderful compilation of the stories and strikes the crucial matters beautifully. It is a read-to-believe kind of book.
Must try definitely.
April 6, 2015
REVIEW:
The first thing that you notice about ‘The Forbidden One’ is its cover. Some would call it controversial, some would call it provocative, most would call it enticing. But one thing cannot be denied – the cover gives you an idea of what to expect in the ten stories that this book contains. No, it is not about physical intimacy, it has nothing raunchy. (A gentle chuckling reminder for those of you whose minds wandered into ‘those pastures’ the moment you read this line and went up to the cover to recheck it – or probably got interested in reading this review because of the cover image that was prominently displayed here; Come to the stories, folks!)
The book is a collection of TEN stories. Yes, 188 pages for ten stories which try to portray the basest of human emotions or a nagging social issue. Each story is unique in one way and similar in one way. They all talk about desire in one way, or maybe something you would have heard of everyday or relate with in some remotest corner of your mind, but dare not speak of it out loud. Not every story is a burst of passion – but every story manages to talk about the rawest of human emotions.
The words of the stories flow in complex sentence structures and any casual reader who is not used to reading many books would have to read through some parts more than twice to actually understand what it means. The stories are woven over a canvas that is desire and if you like to patiently read your books that have a lot of words interwoven as passages that give you a detailed visualisation of the story itself much as a profile analysis of the supporting cast would do for the film instead of how the main characters would be the elements you have to concentrate upon to finish each one in half the time it was intended to be done – this book is your cup of tea.
The plots of individual stories are simple enough. It is the actual stories themselves, written in elaborate words that give this book the substance it requires. The characters are expressed in detail and are written as a complex quagmire of emotions that you might relate with. The summary gives you an idea of what the stories are going to be, and the book adheres to the concept pretty well.
On the whole, a very good attempt by Zaarra.
WHAT I LIKED:
The concept of desire is a sure fire way to relate with readers, and the book gives you fodder to think about. You won’t finish the whole thing in a day, but you will surely read the stories one by one, trying to find the one that should obviously relate with your situation.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
Extremely long unbroken sentences and paragraphs not only make the text difficult to read, they also hamper the speed of the reader. Short stories need crisp short sentences that drive the point home instead of long drawling sentences that make the reader forget how the paragraph started.
VERDICT:
If you had always wanted to read a book that portrayed the rawness of emotions and if talking about the forbidden gives you a sense of thrill – this book is for you!
RATING: 3.7/5
(Rating points have been awarded for the apt cover design, page quality, and nice stories and taken away for complex wording structure and lack of paragraph breaks. It is not unpleasant – it hampers the reading speed.)
The first thing that you notice about ‘The Forbidden One’ is its cover. Some would call it controversial, some would call it provocative, most would call it enticing. But one thing cannot be denied – the cover gives you an idea of what to expect in the ten stories that this book contains. No, it is not about physical intimacy, it has nothing raunchy. (A gentle chuckling reminder for those of you whose minds wandered into ‘those pastures’ the moment you read this line and went up to the cover to recheck it – or probably got interested in reading this review because of the cover image that was prominently displayed here; Come to the stories, folks!)
The book is a collection of TEN stories. Yes, 188 pages for ten stories which try to portray the basest of human emotions or a nagging social issue. Each story is unique in one way and similar in one way. They all talk about desire in one way, or maybe something you would have heard of everyday or relate with in some remotest corner of your mind, but dare not speak of it out loud. Not every story is a burst of passion – but every story manages to talk about the rawest of human emotions.
The words of the stories flow in complex sentence structures and any casual reader who is not used to reading many books would have to read through some parts more than twice to actually understand what it means. The stories are woven over a canvas that is desire and if you like to patiently read your books that have a lot of words interwoven as passages that give you a detailed visualisation of the story itself much as a profile analysis of the supporting cast would do for the film instead of how the main characters would be the elements you have to concentrate upon to finish each one in half the time it was intended to be done – this book is your cup of tea.
The plots of individual stories are simple enough. It is the actual stories themselves, written in elaborate words that give this book the substance it requires. The characters are expressed in detail and are written as a complex quagmire of emotions that you might relate with. The summary gives you an idea of what the stories are going to be, and the book adheres to the concept pretty well.
On the whole, a very good attempt by Zaarra.
WHAT I LIKED:
The concept of desire is a sure fire way to relate with readers, and the book gives you fodder to think about. You won’t finish the whole thing in a day, but you will surely read the stories one by one, trying to find the one that should obviously relate with your situation.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
Extremely long unbroken sentences and paragraphs not only make the text difficult to read, they also hamper the speed of the reader. Short stories need crisp short sentences that drive the point home instead of long drawling sentences that make the reader forget how the paragraph started.
VERDICT:
If you had always wanted to read a book that portrayed the rawness of emotions and if talking about the forbidden gives you a sense of thrill – this book is for you!
RATING: 3.7/5
(Rating points have been awarded for the apt cover design, page quality, and nice stories and taken away for complex wording structure and lack of paragraph breaks. It is not unpleasant – it hampers the reading speed.)
February 17, 2017
In recent times, a lot of Anthologies are hitting the Indian Market. It offers a wide variety of stories with each flavour as distinct and unique as its author. Thanks to such Anthologies, I have recently developed a general liking towards short stories as opposed to the time when I would read short stories only if they were by O'Henry (who doesn't love his twists) and Jefferey Archer.
Zaarra Khader offers a collection of ten short stories in her book 'The Forbidden One'. Frankly the cover, put me off because I assumed that the stories would be about love and sexuality - the kind that have low quality but sell like hot samosas. But then I know better than to judge a book by its cover. I read the blurb and asked around and decided to give it a try and I am glad that I got over my initial impression of the book and picked it up eventually.
Zaarra Khader has brought together ten very different stories to the readers. Ofcourse the common theme among them is love, but just not one kind. Love between lovers, between friends, between mother and child and even between a devotee and God is captured beautifully through the pages. There is another common thread among the stories... In most of them the character have all reached out for their 'forbidden fruit'. It portrays the core of human behaviour when they are face with restrictions or the bad comes to worst. Overall, all the stories were high on emotions and the author has handled her narrative quite well. The language used is simple yet enticing though I must say I craved for more dialogues in the stories. Another thing that irked me was the fact that everytime the author used Hindi terms, there were explanation in bracket next to it. It made the experience of reading the book a bit repetative as I do understand both Hindi and English. Small notes at the end of the page or a glossary at the end of the book would have been better. Or as I prefer, not using regional language in an IWE book would have been best.
Overall, this book comes as a surprise to me as it delivered in quality. Also, this in no way seems like a debut work of the author. She is someone I will watch out for in the future and I hope you will check out this book in the meantime.
Zaarra Khader offers a collection of ten short stories in her book 'The Forbidden One'. Frankly the cover, put me off because I assumed that the stories would be about love and sexuality - the kind that have low quality but sell like hot samosas. But then I know better than to judge a book by its cover. I read the blurb and asked around and decided to give it a try and I am glad that I got over my initial impression of the book and picked it up eventually.
Zaarra Khader has brought together ten very different stories to the readers. Ofcourse the common theme among them is love, but just not one kind. Love between lovers, between friends, between mother and child and even between a devotee and God is captured beautifully through the pages. There is another common thread among the stories... In most of them the character have all reached out for their 'forbidden fruit'. It portrays the core of human behaviour when they are face with restrictions or the bad comes to worst. Overall, all the stories were high on emotions and the author has handled her narrative quite well. The language used is simple yet enticing though I must say I craved for more dialogues in the stories. Another thing that irked me was the fact that everytime the author used Hindi terms, there were explanation in bracket next to it. It made the experience of reading the book a bit repetative as I do understand both Hindi and English. Small notes at the end of the page or a glossary at the end of the book would have been better. Or as I prefer, not using regional language in an IWE book would have been best.
Overall, this book comes as a surprise to me as it delivered in quality. Also, this in no way seems like a debut work of the author. She is someone I will watch out for in the future and I hope you will check out this book in the meantime.
March 14, 2015
The forbidden one is a fresh take of short stories involving the human behaviour under the forbidden situations and circumstances.
The stories provide the glimpses of human psychology with a roller coaster ride of emotional conflicts within oneself.
The Cover:
As rightly said, do not judge the book by its cover. The book is not something what it seems from its cover page. The title word “Forbidden” is referring to the unethical or wrong doings, unusual conducts by human beings under the specific situations.
The Stories:
The stories are emotional; way of writing is quite simple and easy.
However I felt that some stories were monotonous and quite predictable. Author should work little more towards making the stories more interesting and binding for a reader. Some narrations seem dragging at some point of times.
Summary:
The effort by Author to get into the forbidden tales is praiseworthy. The stories are real life and do not seem work of fiction at all. Human behaviour under the given circumstances and emotional conflicts are nicely presented by the author The stories deliver the right messages in the end. The highlighting factor is when you find yourself rooted to the story and wondering what next? The story suddenly comes to end and it will leave further happenings to readers to imagine.
I thank the author Zaarra Khader for providing me the review copy of her book.
This review is my own views about the book and in no way biased.
The stories provide the glimpses of human psychology with a roller coaster ride of emotional conflicts within oneself.
The Cover:
As rightly said, do not judge the book by its cover. The book is not something what it seems from its cover page. The title word “Forbidden” is referring to the unethical or wrong doings, unusual conducts by human beings under the specific situations.
The Stories:
The stories are emotional; way of writing is quite simple and easy.
However I felt that some stories were monotonous and quite predictable. Author should work little more towards making the stories more interesting and binding for a reader. Some narrations seem dragging at some point of times.
Summary:
The effort by Author to get into the forbidden tales is praiseworthy. The stories are real life and do not seem work of fiction at all. Human behaviour under the given circumstances and emotional conflicts are nicely presented by the author The stories deliver the right messages in the end. The highlighting factor is when you find yourself rooted to the story and wondering what next? The story suddenly comes to end and it will leave further happenings to readers to imagine.
I thank the author Zaarra Khader for providing me the review copy of her book.
This review is my own views about the book and in no way biased.
March 15, 2015
The Author doesn't look like a first time author. Her stories come across as real, there is a beauty in the way she makes every character come to life. The book essentially talks about human emotions, feelings or behavior when they are in restricting or complex situations. It definitely showcases the whole triviality of the concept of right or wrong or ethical or unethical tags that we happily gift to people without knowing what the background is.
Coming to the cover, when I first saw it, I felt may be it has things which are forbidden from a physical or sexual perspective but when I finished the book I realized that like any other classy anthology of short stories where in the cover or title is basis one of the stories of the book, Zaarra Khader also has chosen her story sinful aspirations and portrayed the woman or at least half of her on the cover ( atleast that's what I interpret) It's only after I read the complete book that I could appreciate the thought behind the cover and now I think it is a fabulous attempt.
A a journalist, I would say this for sure that each of Zaarra Khader's stories has a story within and I would love to recommend it to all the book lovers who like short stories /light read.
Coming to the cover, when I first saw it, I felt may be it has things which are forbidden from a physical or sexual perspective but when I finished the book I realized that like any other classy anthology of short stories where in the cover or title is basis one of the stories of the book, Zaarra Khader also has chosen her story sinful aspirations and portrayed the woman or at least half of her on the cover ( atleast that's what I interpret) It's only after I read the complete book that I could appreciate the thought behind the cover and now I think it is a fabulous attempt.
A a journalist, I would say this for sure that each of Zaarra Khader's stories has a story within and I would love to recommend it to all the book lovers who like short stories /light read.
February 16, 2015
I think it is an amazing attempt to tell a few forbidden stories to the world. I think the author has made a whole-hearted attempt to question a few prevalent practices in the society and even those situations/circumstances that we face in our real lives. I am a journalist myself and also Shiva devotee and I really loved the story 'Om Namah Shivaye' I think each one who of us who was there during the cloud burst actually knows how miserable it was for the pilgrims to rescue their lives and return back home safely.
I think the way Zaarra describes the emotions shred by shred is simply amazing. I think there are times when we, especially women, can't even express our feelings as clearly as she has managed to, it is like a mirror reflecting my soul. I would give 4 stars to the book and would say it is a must try for all those who enjoy light yet meaningful reads.
One extra star for the Cover - I love it, it makes you feel so inquisitive about that beautiful Indian woman there and her forbidden story
I think the way Zaarra describes the emotions shred by shred is simply amazing. I think there are times when we, especially women, can't even express our feelings as clearly as she has managed to, it is like a mirror reflecting my soul. I would give 4 stars to the book and would say it is a must try for all those who enjoy light yet meaningful reads.
One extra star for the Cover - I love it, it makes you feel so inquisitive about that beautiful Indian woman there and her forbidden story
March 15, 2015
In a perfect mix of emotions 'The Forbidden One' by Zaarra Khader brings out the feelings of those sections of society that have either been socially condoned or not at all addressed as a part of the society.
From a house-hold story of a husband and wife to the tale of someone who is devoted to God or have a dream that differs from the dreams of his family, the novel manages to convey strong message to the readers.
The characters are picked up from day to day life of anyone of us and hence you may start imagining yourself while reading the stories.
To someone who likes to read about the society of urban middle class, 'The Forbidden One' is good choice to opt for
From a house-hold story of a husband and wife to the tale of someone who is devoted to God or have a dream that differs from the dreams of his family, the novel manages to convey strong message to the readers.
The characters are picked up from day to day life of anyone of us and hence you may start imagining yourself while reading the stories.
To someone who likes to read about the society of urban middle class, 'The Forbidden One' is good choice to opt for
March 31, 2015
Review at A Bookworm’s Musing: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2No
What I liked:
+ Some interesting, and different stories with characters to match and at times, quite realistic too
What I didn’t like:
- Some stories lacked pace, and were predictable
- Cover design
One time read for me. I liked the book, but not all stories engaged me completely.
What I liked:
+ Some interesting, and different stories with characters to match and at times, quite realistic too
What I didn’t like:
- Some stories lacked pace, and were predictable
- Cover design
One time read for me. I liked the book, but not all stories engaged me completely.
April 1, 2015
Check out my review here : http://bukreviewsz.blogspot.in/
All the best!!!
All the best!!!
May 6, 2015
I received this book as a give-away. Thanks to the author and goodreads for the same.
When I first opened the book from the packing,the first thought came to me was that the cover might repel to many if you whether were to pick the book from the stands or not. Well as they say never judge a book by its cover hold true for this one, and when you read the in line short stories in the book you might just tend to think that the cover is apt. Having said that it doesn't mean that the book is controversial or enticing/provocative.
The book essentially talks about human emotions, feelings or behaviour when they are in restricting or complex situations or as the author says forbidden ones.
The author has done a good job in capturing the stories from various genre like age,caste,beliefs to name a few and are in tune with many real life situations, though not all are that engaging but a majority of them are well edited and beautifully paced.
Quotes written at places seemed to be genuine and engaging with daily society facts,the one I liked the most was ""Mumbai. It’s ironic that the city which hardly sleeps is called the city of dreams"
When I first opened the book from the packing,the first thought came to me was that the cover might repel to many if you whether were to pick the book from the stands or not. Well as they say never judge a book by its cover hold true for this one, and when you read the in line short stories in the book you might just tend to think that the cover is apt. Having said that it doesn't mean that the book is controversial or enticing/provocative.
The book essentially talks about human emotions, feelings or behaviour when they are in restricting or complex situations or as the author says forbidden ones.
The author has done a good job in capturing the stories from various genre like age,caste,beliefs to name a few and are in tune with many real life situations, though not all are that engaging but a majority of them are well edited and beautifully paced.
Quotes written at places seemed to be genuine and engaging with daily society facts,the one I liked the most was ""Mumbai. It’s ironic that the city which hardly sleeps is called the city of dreams"
March 23, 2015
I've received this book as a giveaway. The Forbidden One is a collection of short stories. These stories revolve around the act which are not acceptable on moral basis or in the views of human society. The main character of each story commits these illicit acts and live with themselves knowing that they have done something wrong, but at the same time enjoying the pleasure that comes with doing something taboo.
The stories are of diverse range and don't have much overlap with each other; however, one gets disappointed when the plot thickens in stores. The reason for the disappointment is because a reader reads stories with a very strong mindset created by the book title. Stories has inclination towards impermissible acts, but each ending doesn't live up to the intensity the book title suggest.
In all, "The Forbidden One" has a collection of some OK stories to some good stories, but the fluctuating intensity of the illicit acts in stories made the book less attractive and came as an average book.
The stories are of diverse range and don't have much overlap with each other; however, one gets disappointed when the plot thickens in stores. The reason for the disappointment is because a reader reads stories with a very strong mindset created by the book title. Stories has inclination towards impermissible acts, but each ending doesn't live up to the intensity the book title suggest.
In all, "The Forbidden One" has a collection of some OK stories to some good stories, but the fluctuating intensity of the illicit acts in stories made the book less attractive and came as an average book.
March 24, 2015
I thank author Zaarra for sending me a review copy. After I read the first story, I really wanted more... Eventually when I continued reading I think every story introduced me to characters that were real yet unknown, emotions which are real , very munch human but as still forbidden! I appreciate the story telling and character sketching skills that the Author has. The details she has mentioned actually made me feel as if the whole story is playing as a film in front of my eyes.
It is too good for a first attempt. I believe every writer needs to be encouraged to write more, hope Zaarra too writes more and may every book be better than the other.
Best Wishes to the Author
It is too good for a first attempt. I believe every writer needs to be encouraged to write more, hope Zaarra too writes more and may every book be better than the other.
Best Wishes to the Author
September 4, 2016
I received this book as a Giveaway. Thanks to the author for giving me this one. This book has compiled beautiful and worth reading short stories that one can relate to their lives. Few of the stories were so engrossing that I wish to read them over again. A must read for someone who finds it difficult to devote more time reading. Short and sweet stories one at a time everyday will surely make your day.
July 30, 2015
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A sorrowful collection of stories about love, loss, and perhaps missed opportunities. I loved the tone of all the pieces and felt horribly for many of the characters. The flow of each story is well done and they all fit nicely together, even though each chapter is its own unique story.
A sorrowful collection of stories about love, loss, and perhaps missed opportunities. I loved the tone of all the pieces and felt horribly for many of the characters. The flow of each story is well done and they all fit nicely together, even though each chapter is its own unique story.
March 31, 2015
I received this book from goodreads giveaway contest in exchange for an honest review. thank you, goodreads!
a good attempt made by the author. it's nice for a one time read.
a good attempt made by the author. it's nice for a one time read.
April 8, 2015
some stories have better plot than the end. But most stories lack sone impact.
May 7, 2015
In the words of Nimue... "The stories are good one time read but not many are worth remembering."
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