Books about: Controversial and forbidden relationships. Not Wattpad stories and pure erotica.

[Jade]

When I try to find books about forbidden or taboo relationships, most of the recommendations or search hits are Wattpad type stories, or plain erotica. Not saying this to look down on these books, but I'd love to read ordinary published fiction (adult literary fiction or YA) that deals with controversial relationships.

Books don't have to be "clean", but I'm not looking for "smut with no other plot" if that makes sense - interested in something with an emotional impact. Open to both happy endings and truly dysfunctional examples.

Relationships can be forbidden because of incest, an age gap, their roles (like doctor/patient), m/m or f/f love in a setting where it's not accepted - or other reasons, if you have any recommendations.

V C Andrews had a lot of different ones, My Dark Vanessa is an abusive example, some'd say Henry and June: From "A Journal of Love": The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1931-1932 and The Lover are classic examples.

[Rainbowheart]

Illyria
Light Fell
Forbidden
Greenland
Wasteland
Bittersweet
The Prophets
Ronit & Jamil
My Policeman
The Secret Sky
Passing Strange
Calling Me Home
Tomato Rhapsody
The Night Language
Brokeback Mountain
The Sweetness of Water
The Gift of Sarah Barker
The Book of Everlasting Things
Last Night at the Telegraph Club

[Jade]

Wow, thank you!

[...cats?]

Ethan Frome
The Essex Serpent
Cobalt Blue
M. Butterfly
Jane Eyre

[Pamela]

Catherine, Her Book

[Autumn]

If you're open to sci-fi Cottonwood is quite intense

[Jade]

Repeat It Today with Tears
Darling
Ludvig meine Liebe
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
Innocents by Cathy Coote (14-Aug-2002) Paperback
Taming the Beast

[Eric]

Try The Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice , and Tanamera by Noel Barber . You may enjoy these .

[Rainbowheart]

Gone
Fair Maiden
Angel & Hannah
Within These Lines
The Japanese Lover
Even When You Lie to Me
These Letters End in Tears
Everything Beautiful in the World

[Pamela]

Falling Free

[Rainbowheart]

Bolla
The Boy I Love
The Fertile Earth
Learned by Heart
In Between Dreams
All the World Beside
The Age of Innocence
The End of Drum-Time

[Karen]

Snow falling on Cedars was a very good book.

[Jade]

Trespasses
Sunburn is forbidden-ish and secretive.

[Rainbowheart]

Troll
The New Life
In Memoriam
The Last Syrian
At What Cost, Silence?
Everything Is Fine Here
The Betrayal of Thomas True
Whispers of Shadowbrook House

[Jade]

Thanks❤
Lost in the Forest
Among Ruins
The Love Child
The Story Of A Million Years
This Secret We're Keeping
Anyush
Ramadan Sky

[Rainbowheart]

1984
Anthem
Delirium
Time After Time
Lies We Tell Ourselves
Archive of Unknown Universes