Reading is a hobby that many encourage, but generally, many people believe that there are materials that are considered good reads and bad reads. Recently, a local romance novel went viral on social media – but not for good reasons.
In a now-deleted post, a Twitter user raised concern over the local romance novel, which includes sexual scenes between the two main characters. The user also pointed out that the book added Quran verses after a sexual scene, which he believed to be highly inappropriate. While romance novels aren’t necessarily illegal, many were particularly shocked at the book’s content after the same user revealed that an 11-year-old girl has also shown interest in the book, even saying that she enjoys the novel’s mature storyline.
Many have reacted to the novel’s content, sharing disgust and shock over the high sexual theme of the story. According to several tweets, the book is titled “Tuan Ziyad: Forbidden Love”, a Malay romance novel by Bellesa. The publisher for the book is Idea Kreatif but the story was first published on Wattpad, an online platform for mostly amateur writers. The book is on sale via Shopee and at the Selangor International Book Fair.
A Twitter user also revealed that the two main characters in the book are not only engaging in a sexual relationship but are also in-laws, with the female lead being the daughter-in-law of the male lead. This revelation led to even more outrage because many netizens believe it glorifies and normalises inappropriate relationships between family members.
Some also said the book is one of the causes of the recent surge of infidelity cases as it normalises cheating and sexual relationships outside of marriage. Despite calls to have the book taken off shelves or banned from sale over concern for young readers, some netizens argued the book has a rating indication on the cover that shows it’s for mature audiences only.
As of reporting, the publisher and author have yet to make a statement regarding the backlash – but what do you think about the book? Do you think it should be banned? Or is it just another romance novel?
