Chicklight- Twichick- whatever!- book one

I used to like the word "twilight."  In fact, I used to like that time of day.  It was the time of day when the world became a little more peaceful, the heat of the day was over, and then the real fun could begin.  Unfortunately now when I hear that word, a little part of my childhood dies and I curl a little more into myself.  Don't judge me but I have now read Stephanie Meyer's Twilight.  In short, I was dared to read it... by a guy.  What's worse is, it was a brother.

I admit, that going into reading this book, my mind was not unbiased.  Generally any book that inspires crazed fan girls, infatuations bordering on obsession with actors, months of enduring movie spoilers, previews, and excerpts, does not bring out the best in my easily warped sense of propriety. Just the same, I feel it would not be justice unless I spoke my exact thoughts concerning what I thought of the book.



Twilightis told from the perspective of Bella, a seventeen-year-old girl who is uprooted to Forks, Washington to live with her estranged father, from Phoenix, Arizona by a warped sense of duty to make her mother happy. She expects nothing to change with her move but at her new high school she quickly acquires the admiration of most of the school, especially the boys.  Instead of appreciating this sudden change that she allegedly desired before her move, she becomes obsessed with the one boy, Edward, who ignores her (albeit at first) and then treats her badly.  Eventually she discovers his secret, after cyber stalking him and putting together the obvious clues, he is a vampire.  She is quoted for saying,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that does not sound like a healthy, loving, giving relationship.   The book plays on Bella's emotional neediness that her loving family and friends cannot replace.  Though I sincerely doubt anyone’s daughter will ever date a vampire there is a very deep description of superficial beauty. She likes him because of his beauty not because of his mind.  Bella repeatedly throws herself at him even when he says he does not wish to sleep with her because that would be breaking one of the ten commandments. 

The irony of a vampire with a conscience is not lost on me but it brings about the one positive of the first book.  Edward does not want to lead her into sin.  He's okay with leaving her in the dark, being rude to her, obsessively following, putting her in repeated mortal danger, and constantly comments that he is too selfish to do the right thing, but he won't sleep with her. 

As a whole I couldn't put the book down because I wondered how it was possible for someone so naive to continue living,* but I would classify it as a Harlequin Romance novel as opposed to a Fantasy. As I have often reflected, it is a romance novel with a dash of fantasy sprinkled in; it’s good if you like sugar but not much for flavor. All this can be overlooked as I don’t expect many people will look into this book as closely as I have, but what bothers me most is the audience that this book seems to be written for. The type is in a large font, simple language, and fast paced (albeit the author often drags out unimportant details in repetitive descriptions of Phoenix, Forks shrubbery, and Edward’s eyes); the book seems to be written for a child. Far be it from me to say an adult should not read a children’s book but imagine what kind of ideas this is putting into, say a thirteen-year-old's mind on what healthy relationships are based upon.  For me, that is the crucial, inexcusable act. 

"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him — and I didn’t know how potent that part might be — that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him." 

Just think what kind of relationship this is setting a child up for.  As I frequently pondered- this is not love, maybe infatuation bordering on obsession, but it sure ain't love.  Although this book does not specifically mention anything adult rated, i.e. explicit sex references, gory details, drugs seen in a good light, it is not child friendly, and I'm not quite sure how to consider healthy for young women either. 

*“ I’ve never tried to keep a specific person alive before, and it’s much more troublesome than I would have believed. But that’s probably just because it’s you. Ordinary people seem to make it through the day without so many catastrophes." -Edward, Twilight