Athena Zamerkopolous is caught between two worlds. Her parents want her to follow Greek tradition and prepare her herself for the life role of wife and mother. She must not date, or even mix with her female friends outside of school hours. Athena wants to live like other girls her age – dating, having fun, and eventually marrying for love.
Life gets a whole lot more complicated when Athena falls in love with the most popular guy in Fremont High – Scott Sanders. Although she knows her parents will never approve, Athena can not resist Scott, and the two have a secret relationship. When her father finds out, he reveals a secret of his own. He has arranged a marriage with the son of his Greek friend, a man who Athena has never met. Now she must make the hardest decision of her life – marry this stranger and lose Scott, or face losing her family.
Forbidden Love is a tale of teenage love and of cultures clashing. It is a familiar situation in the multicultural setting of Australia as cultures merge or clash on a regular basis. It is unfortunate that the story is impeded by the need, in many places, of an editor’s touch. As a self-published book, the enthusiasm and warmth of the writer shine through, but the need for tighter prose is distracting.
A nice story.
Forbidden Love, by Georgia Mantis-Kapralos
Self Published, 2001