Today’s review is in honor of Banned Book Week, led by Sheila, at Book Journey:
Michael and Katherine met at a New Year’s Eve party during their senior year in high school. It wasn’t “love at first sight,” but very slowly they started to connect and began dating.
Like many books about young love, Forever was a story that showed the reader what the obsessive nature of first love looked like. The two of them progressed to the actual sex like most young people, gradually, with a lot of “making out” on the way to actual sex. While the sex scenes, when they happened, were explicit, they were tasteful; they actually unfolded awkwardly, as they would normally for young and inexperienced people. There was nothing crude or vulgar about the scenes, and it was easy to tell that the two of them were “in love.”
But, like most young romances, there would be obstacles to overcome. Would the tests of their love be too much? Would a brief separation during their first summer cement their bond, or be the tipping point for them?
Katherine’s parents handled the relationship between the two very well, mostly advising them about the challenges they would be facing; like most young people, however, they were even more determined to be together.
Michael and Katherine were realistic characters that I couldn’t help but root for, even though I knew that the odds would be against them. The story took me back to my own younger days and the feelings that seemed to define me back then. I believe that young people can relate to the story and learn about some of the issues they will face in their own relationships. 4.0 stars.
***Forever was banned from certain schools due to the sexual content, with some stating that the book lacked “aesthetic, literary, or social value.” The book, in most cases, was reinstated by the school boards.
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AN INTERIOR JOURNEY 