I Am Forbidden

The extraordinary story of a sister who believes and a sister who rebels, set inside the most insular Hasidic sect, the Satmar. Spanning four generations, from pre-World War II Transylvania to 1960s Paris to contemporary New York, Markovits's masterful novel shows what happens when unwavering love and unyielding law clash--a rabbi will save himself while his followers perish; a Gentile maid will be commanded to give up the boy she rescued because he is not of her faith; two devoted sisters will be forced apart when one begins to question their religion's ancient doctrine. One sister embraces and finds comfort in the constraints of the world she's always known, while the other knows she will suffocate in a life without intellectual freedom. Separated by the rules of their community, the two sisters are brought together again when a family secret threatens to make pariahs of them all. Dark, powerful, and compelling, I Am Forbidden takes us deep inside the minds of those who leave their restrictive environments, and deeply into the souls of those who struggle to stay.