The Forbidden Daughter

Welcome to Shobhan Bantwal's Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tour.

The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal is about how the suggestion of selective abortion sets off a series of events that changes the life of Isha Tilal. It is set in a small town in India.

Synopsis:

This is the story of one young mother, Isha Tilak. When a sonogram reveals that their second child is another girl, Isha and her husband Nikhil's lives are forever altered. Their doctor suggests an abortion and her in-laws insist on it. Refusing to comply with their wishes leads to a bizarre chain of events -- Isha's husband becomes the victim of a mysterious murder plot, leaving her alone with one daughter and another on the way. Her only option is to sever her ties to her in-laws and raise her girls as a single mother.

But more danger threatens to rip apart her new life. The stakes become impossibly high -- even for a woman as brave as Isha.


Even though selective abortion is the main theme that runs through out the book. It is more then that. It is about a woman who has to be strong and start over despite the difficulties and
the cultural influences. She does what she has to do to protect her daughters.

Bantwal did a nice a job of writing about an unfamiliar culture. She made it easy to understand what cultural factors influence the thinking of the characters. We may be shocked or not agree with these factors but we understand why.

I found The Forbidden Daughter to be an interesting read. I enjoyed reading it very much. I have added Bantwal's first book The Dowry Bride to my ever growing TBR list. If it is anything like her second book it will be a great read.


About the Author:

I was born and raised in a large, conservative Hindu family in a small town called Belgaum in Southwestern India. I was the black sheep of the family, the only tomboy and hellion in a family of five girls. My four sisters were angels—good little Brahmin girls with the perfect mix of academic achievement, modesty and deportment. Needless to say, I single-handedly gave my parents every gray hair they possessed, but they were wonderful parents and to a large degree I owe everything I am today to them. The most valuable things they gave me were an outstanding education and the love of reading.

An arranged marriage to a man who happened to live in the U.S. brought me to New Jersey several years ago. After giving birth to a daughter and acquiring a second master’s degree in Public Administration from Rider University, I started working for a government agency, where I continue to work.

I’m a late bloomer as far as writing is concerned. Never did I imagine I would even want to be a writer until I turned half a century old. They say a mid-life crisis can go either way—downwards or upwards. Fortunately for me, along with the annoying hot flashes and a few other woes, the creative half of my brain shot into overdrive—definitely an uplifting experience. Overnight I decided I wanted to do two things: be on stage and become a writer.