Look, if you read the title of this article and claim you have never heard of this book before, then I declare that you are a liar. Liar! Yes, Twilight was released 15 years ago, and it was a cultural phenomenon. Compounded by the movie series adaptation that was released several years later, and you could call this one of the most successful literary franchises that has ever existed. And for good reason! This young adult novel is so addictive from start to finish.
It has truly been 15 years since I’ve read Twilight the first time (in seventh grade), and with the news of Midnight Sun (the events from Twilight in Edward’s perspective) being released in early August, I thought it was an appropriate time to revisit the love story between a mortal and a vampire. Swoon! Told from the perspective of awkward teen Bella, who is new to her father’s hometown of Forks, Washington, she soon catches herself in the orbit of Edward, who just so happens to be a pretty old vampire.
Except, Edward and the rest of his family aren’t like your stereotypical Nosferatu types, because they are head to toe gorgeous. Along with that, they are also strong and incredibly fast. Edward tries his hardest to deny Bella, much to her chagrin, but eventually he gives in. The only problem I have with this story is how quickly they declare their love for each other. Maybe is does work like that for some people, but it seemed like it happened over a very short period of time. And during this second read-through, a large part of me is questioning how real Bella’s love is. It’s almost a superficial as other people’s admiration, but this is a work of young adult fiction, so I ultimately just went with it.
The inner dialogue, along with the actual dialogue is just so smooth and natural (as much as a story about vampires can be), that it makes the almost 500 page-count seem like a walk in the park! Every character that we are introduced to, in-depth or not, are all compelling. Thankfully, I know three other novels exist, because there is truly so much else that could be explored with the peripheral characters of this story. But in this, they help move the plot along, and that was expertly executed.
As much as I loved re-reading this, I am going to fight the urge to re-watch the film, because I vividly remember how awful it was. I suppose thinking back, the actors are good, the script was true to the novel, and Catherine Bigelow has been nominated for a Oscar (!), but something about all of these things together just made a distinctly terrible film. Something just didn’t work for me. Perhaps it was the CGI…yes, that rings a bell. Sigh, maybe someday this can be remade properly. The casting wasn’t what I had pictured in my head when I read it, but I was by no means disappointed in that, but the final product certainly was.
Either way, I’ve got the rest of the Twilight franchise on deck to work through this month before the Midnight Sun release, and I can’t wait! I am also very intrigued with the fact that Stephenie Meyer finally decided to release this. I know back when the first film was being made, she gave the draft to Robert Pattinson to read so he could understand Edward better. If I recall correctly, a few chapters got leaked (which I read, obviously), she got mad, and then just never released it. Oh, well. Whatever changed her mind, I’m happy for it!