Book by Stephenei MeyerAbout three things I was certain, concerning Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight:
1. It’s a book about vampires.
2. A part of it, and I’m not sure how dominant that part is, is incredibly cheesy.
3. It has irrevocably become one of my favorite books.
But that’s just me.
Twilight begins simply enough, laying down a necessary foundation as Bella Swan narrates how she ends up in Forks, Washington with her father, after having lived in Phoenix, Arizona for most of her life, with her mother. While the story may drag for some when it starts, action quickly picks up with the introduction of the Cullens—five students at Bella’s new high school who redefine beauty.
For a new author, Stephenie Meyer does a pretty good job with setting up her story, and introducing new and seemingly inconsequential characters. Her choice of perspective, through the eyes of Bella, is important to the story and the way the characters are viewed. She manages to capture the naivety of a 17-year old girl who just wants to escape and find true love.
Of course, the perspective, and Meyer’s writing style has its disadvantages. For those who aren’t so romantically inclined, certain scenes in the book may be too “sappy,” “corny,” and/or “cheesy,” which does get annoying, but holds true to the age-group and mentality of her characters. However unbelievable Edward Cullen and his interaction with Bella may be, it’s best to remember that Twilight is a love story about two star-crossed lovers, who for one reason or another are finding it difficult to be together (sound familiar?) and Stepehnie Meyer makes it clear from her own description of the book that it’s a fantasy that has to do with vampires.
Having fallen in love with other fantasy stories (Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter at the very top of that list), yet at the same time not accepting the romantic side of me, I first read Twilight with a critical mind. For someone who enjoys JK Rowling’s series and JRR Tolkien’s classics, Twilight may be the next book/series to conquer, now that the previous two have come to a close. I loved the way Meyer sets her story in an actual place, with circumstances and events occurring that are appropriate to the story’s setting. There’s a reason the Cullens are in Forks, just as there’s a reason Bella has to move there. Is it fate? Or is it just a series of events that lead two teenagers (one a teenager for almost a century) to find love in an unexpected location at an unexpected time? I like to think of it as such an outrageous fantasy that it just might be true; who knows? Maybe there really is an Edward Cullen wooing a Bella Swan somewhere in the wilderness surrounding Forks; or maybe a Jacob Black enjoys moonlit walks on La Push beach? I can dream, in any case—much like countless other mothers and daughters (and some reluctant boyfriends) who have gotten caught up in the world that Meyer has created.
I also really liked her new and original spin on the vampires themselves. Meyer keeps enough of the myths that allow readers to recognize the danger associated with keeping the company of such creatures, yet at the same time changes enough so that reading this vampire story is different from reading countless other stories before that dealt with the same subject. She may make them more beautiful, but they are just as deadly and vengeful as the characters in Bram Stoker’s work.
While the story is focused on Bella and Edward, the other characters are definitely not lacking whatsoever. Meyer gives life and voice to the other Cullens (some are focused on in greater detail in the later books), as well as some of Bella’s high school friends. While I would have liked to see a little more from those characters, any lack of depth in that arena is due, once again, to the point of view from which the book is written; Bella isn’t as omniscient or all-knowing as some of the other characters in the book turn out to be. Readers see the world the way Bella sees the world, and that view proves incredibly biased.
Twilight is, by no means, a story that makes you think incredibly deep thoughts (though, that of course can be argued). It is not a story that challenges you to rethink your morals, or the way the world works, or anything epic like that. It is, however, a story that will take you away from yourself for a while, into a world where vampires exist—a world where not all vampires want to be monsters and are actually kind of attractive…without the “kind of.” It’s a story that can either uplift your views on love, or ruin them because Edward is just that good.
It’s a fairy tale, that doesn’t necessarily begin with “Once upon a time,” or end with “happily ever after,” but it might just leave you with some warm happy feelings, or the need to avoid candy because that book was just too sweet for you.
Of course, you might end up like me, and avoid garlic instead of candy in the hopes of finding your own Edward Cullen.
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