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Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
In “Sweetest Taboo” we meet Isobel Cruz, a teenager so much in love with her swim coach that she keeps a diary concerning her relationship with him. Years later her daughter finds the diary and asks permission to make it into a book. She already had a crush on him but when he began singling her out in small ways like handing her towel to her and bringing her forgotten jewelry to her home, her crush turned to an obsession.
“Sweetest Taboo” was written by Eva Márquez. This is the tale of forbidden “love.” I struggle with the term love; I think lust or obsession is more appropriate. I will address the characters first. Isobel was only 15 years old and not a mature 15 years old. It is obvious that she has a thing for older men — much older men as demonstrated by the fact she has a poster of Bill Clinton on her wall and her notebook. Izzy disobeyed her father’s orders to stay away from that man. Tom was a married man and yet he encouraged Izzy’s obsession with him. He knew he’d never leave his wife. The relationship was illegal and selfish. The plot could have been ripped from the headlines. Often students become infatuated with their teachers; rarely is it true love. I can throw in all kinds of ifs: if Tom had not been married or if they had kept their relationship at a distance until she graduated! This tale is told through Izzy’s point of view. I would have liked to know what Tom was thinking. This is an interesting tale. For many it will be disturbing. Disturbing or not, it will stir the reader’s emotions.
