Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 3, 2009
Weekly Indulgence
Samara Litvack
I’m not a big fan of vampires. Actually, I’m not a fan of any monsters or killers or creatures of lore. Quite simply, adrenaline rushes are no fun for me; anything that makes me feel the slightest bit scared is a complete and total turn off.
I am, however, a fan of a good book. And when my entire circle of girlfriends began buzzing about Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight,” my curiosity was piqued, ever so slightly.
I watched for months as their Facebook statuses proclaimed, “I can’t put it down” and “I want to find my own Edward.” Having no idea what they were talking about and no desire to read a book about blood-sucking nightwalkers, I never asked for details.
But on a recent trip to Johnson City, my friend Haize began telling me about the book over cocktails. Haize shares my fear of adrenaline rushes and all things scary and promised me it wouldn’t cause nightmares. (Yes, it is really that bad. Adrenaline rushes petrify me.)
I was worried it would be too juvenile, but she assured me differently. She said although it was written from a teenage girl’s perspective, the dialogue was smart and relatable, and the fantasy world Meyer created was mesmerizing, no matter your age.
Haize has never led me wrong, so I trusted her judgment. I began the book last Monday night, still a little hesitant, and within the first few pages I was captivated. It was instantly apparent that while writing a story from a teenage girl’s perspective, author Stephenie Meyer targeted a much broader demographic.
As I already knew from the movie trailers, “Twilight” is the story of a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire. I’m glad I didn’t know much more, however, because the book swept me off my feet. (For those of you who haven’t read it, I won’t give away much of the story.)
Bella, the story’s lead female, is an intellectual, curious and extremely clumsy young woman. Mature beyond her years, when her mother’s boyfriend is called out of town for business, she chooses to leave her home in Phoenix to live with her physically and emotionally distant father in the small, sleepy town of Forks, Wash.
Bella’s first day at her new school is exactly what you’d expect, until she takes note of the Cullen family – the mysterious, charismatic, unnaturally attractive group of teens who sit alone at lunch, dress in the finest clothes she’s ever seen and drive nicer cars than anyone else in town.
Knowing, again from the movie trailers, the actors who play Bella and Edward Cullen in the movie made it easy to picture each scene in my mind’s eye. But the way Meyer writes – the intricate detail, the way she taps into your imagination and evokes memories of specific times and places – makes the story significant and relevant.
By the second chapter, I found myself so consumed by Bella’s new life that I was reading as quickly as I could to see what happened next. I had to deliberately slow my reading down and take everything in, appreciate every detail of Edward’s description, every emotion Bella felt as she interacted with him, every heartache she felt if he avoided her and the intimidation she felt of the force that drew her to him.
Before I knew it, the clock struck midnight on my first night of reading and I had to force myself to put the book down. Before I did, I updated my
Facebook status: “Addicted to ‘Twilight,’ 150 pages in one night. Wow.”
Snapping in and out of the “Twilight” trance is akin to leading two separate lives. Meyer’s descriptions bring you into Bella’s world. You can’t help but experience her exhilaration, her yearning and her amazement by all that is around her.
Meyer’s take on vampires is quite different than most. Edward attributes all stereotypical vampire legends as simply that – legends. In their place, Meyer leaves you with an exceptional family of vampires with whimsical personalities, sincerity and good-hearted, yet tormented souls. This combination makes Edward equally striking and dangerous, and leaves Bella hopelessly in love, completely engulfed by his charm.
I finished “Twilight,” all 498 pages, in four days. I literally could not put it down. I arrived for a dinner date an hour early one evening so I could sit in the car and get my vampire love fix. I went to bed early the last night, determined to get through the most intense (and admittedly scariest) chapters. And it was all worth it.
I wholeheartedly recommend “Twilight” to people who wish to completely lose themselves in a fantasy world – one where the impossible becomes possible, where love trumps reason and the good guys, no matter how much danger lurks behind their eyes, finish first.
This book captures the essence of that world and allows you to live there, vicariously through Bella. And, thank goodness, Meyer wrote an entire series. I’m already planning to swap out “Twilight” for “New Moon” when I see Haize later this week.
Contact Samara at samara@hamiltoncountyherald.
com
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