[A Movie-fanatic’s take on Stephenie Meyer’s book, Twilight- Exclusive article for the Twilight Guy Day, launched by the Twilight Lexicon ]

I hope I don’t sound like Daniel, the interviewer in Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, or appear to mimic the famous ‘centuries-old’ vampire who wants to be a rock star. I’m much simpler and more common than that.

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I love reading books. That’s particularly obvious since tMF has already featured 50 books-to- movie adaptations. But here I have a confession…. While Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, Mary Renault’s The Last of the Wine and Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo are my all-time favorites, there is something so appealing and so heart-warming about Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, that it is now fast becoming a favorite of mine.

But my becoming a Twilight fanatic did not happen overnight. I used to be a skeptic too…

My Intro to Twilight

It’s not often that my twin sisters are so insistent about something. In this case, they had just finished reading the book and yeah, they each have their own copies. They gladly offered to lend me a copy, but I bought my own, along with Jed Rubenfeld’s The Interpretation of Murder, and Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys.

I may have preferred a ‘lighter’ reading since I choose to read Twilight first, but, aside from that, I want to find out what’s all the buzz was about.

Chapter by Chapter

The last time I read a book from cover to cover was Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat. This time I was almost in agony trying to decide whether I should postpone reading the last chapters or simply dive into Meyer’s vampiric world and find out the ending, constantly reminding myself that there are sequels which I can buy in just a few hours. I decided to indulge myself and read the remaining chapters just as light began to seep inside my room…

While I may have had some pre-conceived notions of vampires and werewolves, all of these vanished as I absorbed Meyer’s own version of these age-old fictional characters. She made them into something fresh and modern, with personalities that are flawed, yet unique and admirable. She made them real, in a time I know. I didn't have to convince myself that I was in some ancient castle ruins, nor did I have to reflect on someone’s philosophy on religion and family and world politics…

While Meyer has included certain religious concepts in her book, she was not trying to force her beliefs onto her readers. It was more like being introduced to something, just like the first time you meet someone who later becomes your close friend…

My Most Memorable Passage

“How old are you?”
“Seventeen,” he answered promptly.
“And how long have you been seventeen?”
His lips twitched as he stared at the road. “A while,”

I find this passage quite memorable because it shows how Edward and Bella could become so intimate and so confident with each other that they decided secrets can be revealed in the most subtle of ways. It was so nonchalant, that I dared not even question how long “a while” was.

It could have been ‘I was born in June 14th, in the year of our Lord, 1765…or ‘I was a young slave who caught the eye of my Roman master back when Rome was the center of the civilized world…’

It was the simplicity that made the book the more convincing.

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Into the Characters

Solitude. Animosity towards fellow vampires. Distrust. The power to take flight. The need to kill. These are some of the qualities I always identified with vampires. In Twilight I got to discover something more: Enduring companionship. Love for humans. Thirst for knowledge.

The second one is a major factor that made Twilight an obsession to most fans. Vampires are supposed to be dark and malevolent creatures who hunt humans for food, but in Twilight this romantic angle made vampires almost like humans. Their glassy, dead skin seems more ‘alive’, if that makes sense at all. Their ever-changing eye colors seem capable of understanding human emotions, of empathizing with humans.

But the most disconcerting thing of all is that they can walk among us even during daytime!

Meyer has shattered the myth! Instead of anger and resentment, I felt such fascination and curiosity. It was as though I was having my first encounter with these fascinating yet deadly creatures.

Jasper and Jacob

There are so many memorable characters, but the two characters that really get into my imagination and yeah, regular consciousness were Jasper Hale and Jacob Black.

Jasper, perhaps because he has an inner turmoil inside, but I admired the way he controlled himself. Also because he makes mistakes and there are obvious weaknesses to his personality. He has a certain sense of loyalty that is interesting to explore.

Jacob because he's so sure about his feelings to that 'someone' he loves that he's willing to risk it all, but still he hesitates to offer himself because he thinks he is not good enough. Also, I think he is matured beyond his age, but at the same time he's so immature that you can't help but feel for him, root for him even.

The Last Word

Says Lev Grossman:

“What makes Meyer's books so distinctive is that they're about the erotics of abstinence. Their tension comes from prolonged, superhuman acts of self-restraint. There's a scene midway through Twilight in which, for the first time, Edward leans in close and sniffs the aroma of Bella's exposed neck. "Just because I'm resisting the wine doesn't mean I can't appreciate the bouquet," he says. "You have a very floral smell, like lavender ... or freesia." He barely touches her, but there's more sex in that one paragraph than in all the snogging in Harry Potter.”

We’re all living in the fast-lane, where almost everything can be done is a matter of minutes, even seconds. We’ve been so impatient about many things that having to wait for something is almost torture.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of Meyer’s book is the need to take the time and pause for a while.

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Comments (4)

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written by nanish, May 15, 2008

Wow, I love the coverage that you've given to Twilight, it's been my obsession since I read the 3 books in 4 days.. so yeah.
So now you know why we all are addicted to it!

Btw.. Have you read American Gods by Neil Gaiman as well? I

Gaiman rocks!
written by jedmed, May 15, 2008

Hi there Dennise!

I loved Stardust! and since it's Neil Gaiman who wrote the book, I became interested in reading his more recent works. I'm still discovering him, and his website is so fascinating, it's so inspiring to become part of his world!

I have yet to read American Gods, was it good?

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written by iluvtwilight, May 15, 2008

awesome article =) im glad u took the time to read these amazing books!
good for yuh =P
^-^

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written by JESSICACAKES., June 17, 2008

Great article! I love those lines too! one of my many favorite quotes.
“How old are you?”
“Seventeen,” he answered promptly.
“And how long have you been seventeen?”
His lips twitched as he stared at the road. “A while,”
I love Jasper. His just got so much mystery to him. Jasper and Alice are freaking awesome!

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