The Forbidden Daughter

by Shobhan Bantwal

Set in the sensual richness of India, Shobhan Bantwal's gripping new novel asks: Where can a woman turn when her life's greatest blessing is seen as a curse? It's a girl! For most young couples, news of their unborn child's gender brings joyful anticipation. Not so for Isha Tilak and her husband, Nikhil. They already have a beloved daughter, but Nikhil's parents, hard-wired to favor male children above all, coldly reject little Priya at every turn. Vain and selfish, they see female grandchildren as burdens, and would just as soon never meet the one growing in Isha's belly. Even the obstetrician agrees, going so far as to suggest the unthinkable, throwing Nikhil into a rage--and changing Isha's life forever. . .

When Nikhil is discovered brutally murdered, Isha is convinced it had something to do with his reaction to the doctor's hideous "solution" to their problem. Alone, grief-stricken, and relentlessly oppressed by in-laws who believe her baby is a bad omen, Isha sets out on her own. Born into a privileged class, Isha doesn't know the first thing about fending for herself, but to protect her precious daughters, she will learn. And she will cling to the hope given to her by a strange old mystic: that her baby will arrive on the auspicious night of Kojagari Purnima, the full harvest moon, and be a gift from Lakshmi, the goddess of well-being. Isha and her girls will need all the blessings they can get, for the greatest danger of all lies ahead. . .

Praise for Shobhan Bantwal and The Dowry Bride

"Splendidly depicts passion, brutality, and cultures in conflict." --Dorothy Garlock

"Vivid, rich. . .expertly portrays a young woman caught between love and duty, hope and despair." --Anjali Banerjee

Genres: Fiction, India, Historical Fiction, Romance, Adult, Contemporary, Indian Literature

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Shobhan Bantwal is the Indian-American author of THE DOWRY BRIDE, her debut novel set in India and slated for release by Kensington Books in September 2007. It is the first of a two-book contract with Kensington.

Since 2002, Shobhan's articles and short stories have appeared in a variety of publications like India Abroad, Little India, U.S. 1, Desi Journal, India Currents, Overseas Indian, New Woman India, Kanara Saraswat and Sulekha. Her short stories have won honors and awards in fiction contests sponsored by Writer's Digest, New York Stories and New Woman magazines.
Her award winning stories are accessible through her web site: www.shobhanbantwal.com
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Reviews

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

My views may be completely biased because I myself am from India and as such relate deeply with a book written on Indian culture.

Upon reading this book, I was mostly sad to realise that every word of the book was true in every sense and despite the book set more than a decade and a half ago, it pains me to see that situation has not much changed with respect to elders' pov on having a girl child.

This book evoked so many emotions within me but most prominent was the anger. I really wish the book was all about injustices towards "The forbidden daughter" as I did not greatly enjoy the whole mystery-thriller aspect of the story. It read to me like a bollywood film ngl.

Nevertheless, this was still a well written book with a strong message within itself and I am happy to see such books on GR.

[Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isha Tilak is happily married with a small daughter and pregnant with her second child. She lives with her husband, Nikhil, and his parents in Palgaum, a small town in southwestern India. Her life begins to change, though she doesn't know it, with a visit to her doctor for an ultrasound. As she and her husband watch the test, the doctor tells them that the baby Isha is carrying is a girl. Then he says "We can fix that."

Isha and Nikhil are stunned. The doctor is suggesting terminating the pregnancy because the child is not a boy! They are both aware that in the past boys had been much preferred to girls in Indian culture but are shocked that a modern doctor would be so nonchalantly suggesting an abortion on the basis of the baby's sex, which is against the law in modern India. They refuse, of course, but are deeply disturbed.

A short time later, tragedy strikes the Tilak family. Nikhil is found dead at the family business. It looks as if he was robbed and stabbed while he was in the process of closing for the evening. He was the only son in his family and his parents' grief is overwhelming. They start to take their anger out on Isha and her small daughter. They say the baby girl she is carrying is a curse on the family and was the cause of her father's death. They make it obvious that they think she should have had the abortion. Isha finds that she cannot continue to live with them and subject her child to their animosity. Despite the fact that she has nowhere to go, no status as a widow and no way to earn any money, she takes her daughter and leaves.

Thus begins Isha's journey to finding herself, finding out what really happened to her husband, and creating a future for herself and her two beautiful daughters. She surprises herself with her own strength and ability to adapt and grow despite the challenges that she encounters.

I really liked this book. The characters felt real, were interesting and well written and the story was engaging. Though the idea of using abortion as a means of sex selection is disturbing, I think the author right to bring it to light in this way. I look forward to reading future books by Shobhan Bantwal.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish this book. I thought the plot was interesting enough, but the writing completely put me off. Isha is a typical Indian woman who has one daughter and is told that she's pregnant with another daughter. The doctor suggests abortion because girl babies are not very wanted in India, but Isha and her husband refuse. Soon after, Isha's husband is murdered and Isha wants to find out what happened to him, all the while trying to deal with her in-laws, who are angry about getting a second female grandchild from her.

The problem, for me, was that the dialogue was extremely clunky. Conversations happen not because they seem plausible or realistic but because that is how the characters fill the reader in on backstory. Furthermore, the mystery aspect of the story wasn't even a mystery because the killer and motive are revealed to the reader in a chapter right after the husband dies, so from there, the reader just has to wait for Isha to learn equally as much.

Anyway, I didn't finish it. I like reading books that have smooth writing, with conversations that don't make me stumble and think, "This was written just to educate me!" Maybe others could overlook these issues because I think it could be a decent book otherwise, but it just wasn't for me.

[Allen Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very good writing. A story that's been done a hundred times, but never gets old. Talks about the social norms in a well-to-do family in India, 🇮🇳. How they view girls in that society. A murder mystery, the old fashioned in-laws, a convent, a kidnapping, and currupt police. Well done.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isha and her husband, Nikhil Tilak live in India. They are pregnant with their second child. While at Isha's doctor's visit with her OB/GYN, Dr. Karnik; Isha and Nikhil learn they will be having a daughter. Isha and Nikhil are happy but Nikhal's parents are not. In fact they want Isha to have an abortion as a daughter can't carry the Tilak name for generations. Nikhal can't believe his parents would suggest a thing. Before anything can be done Nikhal is robbed and stabbed to death. Nikhil's parents are convinced that Isha's second child is a evil omen and caused the death of their son. Now Isha has to find a way to protect her two daughters. Isha will not have to do it alone. She has been reunited with an old friend in Dr. Harish Salvi, a pediatrician. Living in India, being a single mother of two won't be easy. It will take all Isha and Dr. Salvi have.


Isha is a very caring and strong woman. She tries to instill in her daughters that they always can be strong through any type of adversity. The Forbidden Daughter portrays a beautiful and sad story. Shobhan gives readers an amazing journey of one woman's sacrifice for her children but as well as the terrible acts that are still taking place today where in some countries where bearing a male heir is so important. The Forbidden Daughter is the first book I have read by Shobhan Bantwal and I just feel in love with it. I am so glad I discovered this wonderful writer and author. You can bet I will be reading more from Shobhan Bantwal.

[Ally · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a lot of things to like about this book, if you're not me. I was expecting something more tense, and what I got was a watered-down suspense romance. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a fan of the love story, and that sneaking a love story into a book is a quick way to lose me. I also found the language and the pace of this book to be a bit slow and drawling, and, though I understand the need, the author kept stopping in the middle of the narrative to explain this or that element of Indian culture, which pulled me out of the story. The ending was a bit contrived, and seemed reminicent of that gawdawful "Breaking Dawn" ending, where you're FINALLY expecting something to happen and then, "oh, never mind, happy ending." Still, if you like fluffy romance where the danger is simply resolved, you might like this book. I do like the characters, but the pace of the whole thing, and the Harlequin feel to the love story, not to mention that ending, really threw me.

[Shauna · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, I really wanted to like this book. It has a beautiful cover. The premise sounds promising. However, it lacked in so many ways. This book reads like the script from a soap opera. It is very dialogue heavy. You expect to get a rich feel for the culture, but you don't. I have read a lot of books thick with Indian culture. This book comes nowhere close to describing what a woman like Isha would have to go through in her situation. So, disappointing. I feel like I have wasted the last few days of my life reading this crap. I should have given up and not read the dumb thing, I was just so naive and kept thinking the writing would get better. Don't waste your time with this book. It could have been written by a 15 year old for a creative writing class. It is very full of "teen angst" type drama.

[Novel_Nerd101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years back, n just like then, i still love it. The drama n the little romance kept me reading, it was nearly impossible to put down the book.

[ANNETTE · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me way longer to finish . I did consider dropping this book. The chapters were rather slow and drug -out.
The culture part was interesting.A good storyline with some predictable sections .

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to love this book. The premise is great....a wealthy Indian couple are expecting their 2nd child which an ultrasound has shown to be a girl. They already have a daughter and the husband's parents are adamant about the couple aborting this baby to try to produce a son to carry on the family name. When the husband is killed, the wife, still living with her in-laws, must make a decision about whether to keep this pregnancy and fend for herself or give in to her in-laws demands that she terminate.

Unfortunately, the writing was terrible. I picked up the book hoping for a tale about the plight of women in a patriachical culture in the same vein as "A Thousand Splendid Sons". and got a fluffy romance novel instead. The plot became very predictable and the dialog was awful.

[Melissa Eisenmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Forbidden Daughter is about an Indian woman named Ishta who, after her husband is murdered, moves out of the house she shared with his abusive parents, and how she supports herself.
Overall, I liked The Forbidden Daughter. I especially like Dr. Salvi and the main character's 5-year-old daughter, Priya.
Parts of it, like the fact that Ishta's husband's parents tried to get her to abort her unborn daughter because they thought she was a bad omen and wanted a grandson to carry on the family line, and the slightly graphic ending, disturbed me. I can't fathom wanting to abort my child because she isn't a boy.

[Kymberduck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good one. It gave you insight to another culture...
One that I am not super familiar with...I really am learning a lot lately about the life a women in other cultures.

This one was based in India and how the older generation do not take kindly to "girl" babies. So far as that many push for termination of the pregnancy if it is a girl. Awful. Again the book was a little predictable - but all-in-all a pretty good read.

[Cassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like to take some time and read books about other cultures. This book is about a daughter that is "forbidden" by the culture, and really hits home with me. I am a girl with only brothers, and grew up trying to prove my worth. This is a story about the family and a girl affected by a sexist culture, and does a good job touching the reader with thoughtful prose and a heartfelt story. This is a quick read, but makes you happy to be alive (if you are a girl).

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't so sure I would like this book - it was hard for me to "get into" with the names and such. BUT, it turned out to be an amazing page turner! I can't believe people would willingly abort female fetuses... but I guess it has happened :-( Good book - may have to add this author to my list of faves :-)

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story of standing up for yourself. I finished this over a month ago so I can't write a great review. I enjoyed it immensely when I read it and would recommend it to anyone as a book that will not only entertain, but make you think about a variety of topics: social standing, family dynamics, forgiveness, self-esteem, etc.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, raises interesting questions about what goes on in current day societies. The love story came as no surprise but credit to the author for playing it out the way she did. (am I giving too much away in a review?) Read it in 4 days, and looked forward to picking it up each time.

[Neela Naraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Aastha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. I expected much more when I saw that it was about female infanticide in India, which is a major problem (very low female-to-male ratio--it is estimated that somewhere between 8 and 10 million women are missing from India's population due to sex-selective abortions). But the author's intentions were not to make the world aware of this major issue. Using it as a base for the story, she moves into a Bollywood-like romantic tale, with an utterly predictable soap-opera ending.

While the plot makes it a page-turner, it was not the socially-conscious book that I was hoping for. My feeling is that the author is almost a little wary of being rejected by her target audience (people with very little knowledge about the issue and India in general), and tones down the gravity of the situation. To her credit, she does talk about the problem in the author's note. It is too late by then though.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the airport. The cover art and subject had caught my attention. I had anticipated the subject of selective abortion in India to be approached in a similar quality manner as the problems of Afghan women in "A Thousand Splendid Suns". The difference though is immense. The book starts of feeling like the literary version of a soap opera. Halfway into the book I noticed that the first page explained the target audience. The radiant reviews came from Romantic Time, RomanceReviewsToday.com etc. With this in mind I lowered my expectations and enjoyed the book as a quick, easy and relaxing romantic book that also (briefly) touched on the shocking subject of selective abortion.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story, well done romance, as well as a thriller when a murderer is chased down, but there are a lot of improbable twists and turns. Still, if it helps to shine a light on the despicable practice in India of aborting female fetuses, that's a good thing. The characters are fully formed: Isha is a traditional upper class wife whose husband's murder forces her to leave her privileged life for the sake of her daughter, their only child. Harish is a self-professed nerd, a pediatrician married to his work, who becomes a source of strength and joy to Isha, but he isn't a perfect hero. Sheila, Isha's sister in law, finds unknown strength within herself to stand up to her parents, and the peripheral characters are all interesting in themselves. I would read more by this author.

[Petra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although an interesting story with warm characters, the story comes across as somewhat disjointed and not quite finished or polished enough.
This is an easy, relaxing, comfortable story with no surprises for the Reader.
Isha is a warm, typical Indian woman in a loving marriage. She loses her husband to a brutal murder and must find her own independence, while raising 2 young girls. Although this woman is under a lot of pressure and grief, there are outbursts and actions that are not consistent with the character the Reader has gotten to know. This makes the story seem to not fit together quite right.
However, I did enjoy the story for it's calming, easy reading.

[Wisterious Woman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I wanted to read something different from my usual choices. A romance novel where the characters weren't stereotypically white seemed like it was worth checking into. I don't think Ms. Bantwal is a good writer especially since the book is awkwardly written in third person and I couldn't feel empathy toward the main characters. It is worth reading if you are in a book group or are just interested in knowing more about the Indian way of life. The book does make you think about the common practice of female feticide in some countries and the moral issues related to abortion.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book starts out with a fascinating plot which drove me to the bitter and very disappointing end. The heroine who begins by being noble, serving, and independent turns into a deplorable complainer. I would flip through pages of her rants and way over-the-top drama. I got sick of reading about what they ate and wore as well as lots of Hindu words that mean absolutely nothing to me (the above-mentioned seem to be a common plague with Indian authors). I've decided to stay away from Indian authors in the future.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Novel was predictable and elementary - good for a quick read. But it was like Nora Roberts set in India and Nora Roberts is a better writer. Disappointed in this novel - I was really expecting more depth from the author given the subject matter. The characters were flat and I didnt feel like I could emphasize with them.

I knew no more about Indian culture than when I started reading the book. Really wanted some more details and I was left wanted more from the author. OK read if you dont have high expectations.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was chosen by my book club. The subject matter interested me and I looked forward to learning more about the Indian culture. Sadly, it was a disappointment. The story reads like a soap opera. Wealthy Indian family urges daughter-in-law to abort her second child because it is a girl. She flees family, delivers child in convent and starts her own business making children's clothes. Meanwhile her husband has been murdered for reporting the doctor as an abortionist. Story is dull and predictable.

[Shabana Qazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of things to like about this book, if you're not me. I was expecting something more tense, and what I got was a watered-down suspense romance. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a fan of the love story, and that sneaking a love story into a book is a quick way to lose me. I also found the language and the pace of this book to be a bit slow and drawling, and, though I understand the need, the author kept stopping in the middle of the narrative to explain this or that element of Indian culture, which pulled me out of the story.

[Beth Devlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's premise deals with a number of heavy issues: selective abortion, family structure and female status in an upper-class Indian community. However, the story ends up being lighter than the opening pages would have you think, and it comes down to a modern romance: a woman and her children in jeopardy and a kind-hearted doctor who helps out of the goodness of his heart as well as a growing affection for our heroine.

A quick read with some substance. B+

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out very interesting ... learned about the customs in India, how they lived, etc. Eventually though, the book became kind of predictable. Widow moves out of the house where female children are not appreciated, gets help from people who are of the same mindset as herself, makes it on her own with a dress sewing business, etc. I'm not saying this is a terrible book; it's just predictable -- good read if you're looking for something light, interesting, and quick.

[Rachaelbg Bertos Haviland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book 3 1/2 stars if I could. It was a quick read, but I looked forward to reading it every time I picked it up. Deals with the subjects of selective female abortions in modern-day India, as well as some women's issues and the collision of traditional and modern culture. It maybe could have had a little more substance as far as these issues are concerned, but all in all, a fun book, and I liked it.

[Deborah Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written tale of one widow's struggles when her husband is mysteriously murdered. Isha was pregnant with her second child and loving her life, until constant scrutiny was bestowed upon her by her in laws for not bearing male heirs. When she is suddenly left a widow she is forced to leave the comfort of her in laws' home and seek to start a new life on her own with her young daughter and pregnant with her second. A great tale of family bonds and love without limits.