Twilight

Here is another book left in shadows because of the movie. To be honest I don’t care about that, because I simply hate both the book and the movie. Well, hate is a strong word, let’s just say I don’t like them. One of the reasons why I don’t like them is because I’m having a hard time to understand why a mediocre book like this has become such phenomenon all around the world. What is it that attracts people to it that much? The storyline is okay, but I don’t think it is written in a literary way. I just can’t consider this book as a literary piece.

The story is about Bella and Edward’s romance. Edward is a vampire and Bella is human, she is not like other teenagers as her own age, she’s more mature and she enjoys the solitude. I guess she fits in the ideology of a ‘Divided Self’, which is something we’ve all been through when we were teenagers. That may sound cute, but it actually is not. Because their relationship is a good bit weird. I actually really enjoy reading and watching vampire themed stories. But vampires I know cannot walk in the sunshine, if they do, they will burn. They usually sleep in a coffin and they are often cruel creatures and see themselves superior to human race because they are stronger. We don’t see that in Twilight. I think this book is for those who don’t like vampire books. Because Edward is described as really kind, sentimental and doesn’t feed on humans, falls in love with a human. That’s why this story doesn’t appeal to me, it doesn’t feel real at all. To me, whole vampire thing takes a back seat, because love is more important. Maybe that’s what it should be considering this is a teenager book.

I had not come to realize till the discussion we had in the classroom how Edward treats Bella. He has the control of the relationship and it seems Bella likes it. She’s described as clumsy, not very pretty, and somewhat unable. First you think why a vampire handsome as Edward is attracted to Bella, but then it all makes sense, she’s easy to control. He climbs up her window and watches her sleep. That is super creepy. There’s no privacy at all. Is it a healthy relationship? Of course not. But I think the reason why Bella and Edward get together is that they both have old souls. Edward is more than a hundred years old, and Bella acts like she is a grandma. Even her father knows it and asks him to go out and date someone, have some fun, act like a teenage girl. She is portrayed as lost and unhappy young girl, looking for salvation by her prince charming.

One other thing I can’t help noticing is that the lack of information about Edward’s family. They are mentioned yes, but they don’t have any significant role on the story. Same thing goes for Bella’s parents. This is one of the aspects of first love books, family does not carry much of a significance.

I wouldn’t be wrong if I said this book was for all ages since it’s such a phenomenon in the world. It can’t be only teens that like this book. Maybe if I read this book 5 or 6 years ago, I’d like it, because I would be focusing on love then. It’s amazing how points of views can change within a few years. All in all, I can easily say I don’t like this book but it’s suitable for young readers.