Twilight

I had jury duty earlier this week so I was in need of a good, entertaining book. I picked up Twilight by Stephenie Meyer on the recommendation of Stephen and Sylvie, both of whom indicated that they couldn’t put it down. It turned out to be the perfect choice to get me through two days of enforced sitting around.

Twilight is about Bella, a seventeen year old girl, who moves from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her father. At her new school she feels drawn to the beautiful and mysterious Edward Cullen. She is confused and annoyed by his odd behavior, but eventually figures out that he is a vampire. By that point it’s too late because she’s already fallen in love with him.

Spoilers

Edward and his family are a group of vampires who all hunt animals instead of humans. Carlisle and Esme Cullen function as the parents of the family and to the public Edward and the remaining members of the group are their adopted children. The vampire lore used is interesting. These vampires can go out in the sun, but their skin becomes luminous so they avoid it. Their eyes change color depending upon how recently they have eaten, from gold to black. Some of them have special powers, Edward can read minds and his sister Alice can see the future, but not all of them do. They have the usual super strength and heightened senses. The most unusual trait is that these vampires are venomous. Instead of the usual Anne Rice method for creating a new vampire, their venom will change a person who is bitten and survives.

Bella and Edward’s relationship was very fun to read. It was very sensual, and exactly the sort of story that I would have loved as a teenager. I was impressed with Meyer’s ability to bring to mind what it felt like to be sixteen and in love for the first time. She was also able to treat a typical star-crossed relationship without lapsing too much into teen angst and whining. While Edward spends a lot of time telling Bella that he is dangerous, once they truly begin their relationship there is a refreshing lack of “How can a human and a vampire have a relationship?” moments.

The only real complaint I had about the book is that the adventure story section felt a bit tacked on and unnecessary. The tracker came after Bella and manages to manipulate her into coming to him by threatening her mother. Still for some reason Bella’s whole self sacrificing moment did not feel as trite as it should have. It was predictable and obvious, but I wasn’t particularly annoyed.

I’m interested to see where the story goes in the remaining books in the series. I like Edward and Bella and their relationship. Hopefully it will be fun to see where it goes.