Twilight – Stephanie Meyer

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I finally got a copy of Twilight yesterday.

You probably know the plotline, but in a nutshell, Bella is a clumsy yet independent teenager who moves from sunny Arizona to cloudy Forks in order to live with her father. At her school, she spots a bizarre family at the cafeteria: The Cullens. She is drawn to Edward, the tall and handsome Cullen; but is shocked and angry at how repulsed he seems when next to her. She also finds his (also the other Cullens’) features out-of-the-ordinary: he has marble white, smooth skin; his eye color changes depending on his mood… And after he saves her life, which was practically impossible for any normal person, she urges him to tell her about himself and they fall in love, even though Edward warns her that they shouldn’t be friends because he could suddenly lose control and risk her life, or even kill her, putting in consideration the he is a blood-thirsty vampire. But Bella, who is so charmed by him, makes it clear that she will risk her life for him rather than stop loving him, which gravely endangers her life.

The story is pretty absorbing at the first 2 or 3 chapters, but after that, it just keeps dragging on monotonously. It is ridiculously repetitive and even after reaching more than half the 500-page book, nothing happens. What’s even worse is that in the middle of the story, there are many moments when your heart starts racing in excitement that something is going to happen, but nothing does, as a beguiling strategy from the author to keep you reading.

Bella is intrigued by Edward and his past, which he gives her in small portions throughout the story, but the rest of his family’s history wasn’t interesting. Sometimes it makes you want to skip lines or pages out of boredom.

On the whole, the plot was dull, hasty, and unimaginative. While reading, I would think back and wonder why I’m going through all this, and I’d remember that it is because an impulsive, conceited 17-year old decides to risk her life for an attractive, mysterious vampire. She loves him so much that she is actually willing to let him turn her into a monster - putting no regard for her family - just in order to be with him. The plot is not convincing at all.

And after long, unbearable hours of reading, comes the point when the villain appears, and my eyelids are still drooped. Also, the moment of action to protect Bella was so silly: “you get in the car; I’ll go with him; you got with her; you’re staying with him; we’ll take the jeep; you take the other car, etc”.

I couldn’t believe that Bella was actually tricked with the not-so-real voice of her mother with a VCR, then blackmailed and almost brutally killed. That happens in an action movie, like Bourne Ultimatum, not a classic vampire love-story. The plot was supposed to be clever.

Yet with all those terrible flaws, how come the novel’s so popular and successful? I’m thinking it’s because of the consistent dose of romance in the book, which is what high-school girls want, regardless of whether the plot is good or not. Twilight really can’t be more romantic or sensual that it already is. It’s also exaggerated, causing fans to crave for more of the irresistible, charming Edward Cullen, resulting in the other trail of books: New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn - plus another one on the way.

Twilight is a crappy novel. But after it sinks its venomous, you can’t put it down.