Delecatable Bites

Last night I had an epiphany.  And it was about the tropes. I figured out my favorite trope and it hasn’t been mentioned here yet. So, yay me.

 

Forbidden Fruit goes back to the beginning of time. Well, according to Adam, Eve, and some apple tree. But let’s focus on the literary aspects of the Forbidden Fruit. Think Romeo and Juliet—where would they be had their families not been enemies? Well, alive for one thing. But would it be a romantic classic had Romeo and Juliet simply been neighbors? Forbidden fruit falls from the limbs of feuding families.

And for your further enjoyment, here are some other guises of Forbidden Fruit.

 The delectable brother comes in many forms.  

*He’s the brother of your non-quite-my-soul mate.

*Or the brother of your husband/fiancé. Now, your husband could be abusive. He could be dead. Or he could be a lying scumbag who abandoned you (see The Client List). But whatever he is, his brother is off limits and therefore, quite desirable.

*He might be the brother of your best friend, the much younger brother of your step-father, or maybe—in the most sordid of tales—your own brother (see Flowers in the Attic).

A twist on the brother is the brother-in-law. One of the most romantic books I’ve ever read had this twist. In Like Water For Chocolate, the hero, Pedro falls in love with Tita, only to be denied  her hand because her mother believes in some archaic notion that the youngest daughter is to be her mother’s caretaker. In a bold move, Pedro marries the sister so he can remain close to Tita. While they never give into their passion, it ignites each page as you hope this will be the one where they do give in.

Speaking of best friends, that’s our next candidate. The Forbidden Fruit could be the boyfriend of your best friend--(see Something Borrowed, which now you’ve got to be thinking I’m just on a Colin Egglesfield kick—nope, just a lucky benefit).

The Forbidden Fruit could be the younger man (On the Island), a teacher, or your boss. You might even have to sneak around because nobody can see you—hawt, hawt, hot. 

So, tell me, what's your favorite Forbidden Fruit?