There are times when I feel like I'm at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, shamefully staring down at my feet as I stand and admit truthfully, "Hi, I'm Riley, and I hated Twilight." There are times that I fear for my life as I am forced to admit this fact to another raving fangirl and fellow classmate as they turn from their desk to ask, "Don't you just love Edward Cullen?" I cringe as a look of horrified disgust crosses their face as I state blatantly, "No, actually, I don't." For a fleeting moment, I almost feel as if I should grab my bag and run from the classroom as fast as possible or risk potential martyrdom. I can picture an endless sea of Twilight fans dragging me kicking and screaming to sacrifice me before a shrine they have built in Edward's likeness out of devotion to Stephenie Meyer, the book's author. Let's face it, openly admitting my strong dislike for the novel is practically asking for a death sentence. However, as my journalism grade depends on it, it's a risk I'm willing to take.
The 489-page novel centers on Isabella "Bella" Swan, a seventeen-year-old girl who has recently moved to the rural Forks, Washington with her father, Charlie. At Forks High School, where Bella is usually prized for being the "new girl", she meets the dark and mysterious Edward Cullen, who seems to despise Bella for little to no reason at all. As time passes, the two gradually become attracted to one another, despite Edward's reluctance, and it is later revealed that he is, you guessed it, a vampire. Edward has been trying to avoid Bella because the scent of her blood is strangely and powerfully alluring, and fears he will endanger her. However, like any high school relationship, their love is too strong to be quenched. The novel continues in a similar vein, filled to bursting with cheesy romance and likewise dramatic plot turns.
Granted, Stephenie Meyer's beloved first book is great for a quick, simple read. The plot is entertaining and easy to become absorbed in, and it rapidly kills time that is begging to be wasted. But the novel is simply that—a time waster, something that should be read once, then never picked up again. Meyer's writing style, while eloquent at times, is somewhat reminiscent of a cheap, drugstore romance novel written by an inexperienced, romance-starved teenage girl. The character of Edward is widely hailed as "gorgeous" and "beautiful" by the fanbase, but this is not, in fact, due to the imagination of the reader. Edward's attractiveness is accepted because Meyer tells us so—about 9,870 times throughout the course of the book (a slight exaggeration, but a small one at that). It seems to me that an author of such alleged caliber should harbor the ability to fuel readers' imaginations and make us believe that Edward is as gorgeous and perfect as Bella claims without constantly having to remind us up front.
To me, the characters seemed superficial, lacking any development whatsoever. Edward is a classic example of a stoic character, remaining exactly the same in word and deed throughout the book's entirety. Bella's character is unrealistic, and quite frankly, idiotic at times. Every single conversation in the book can be summed up like this:
Edward: Bella, I love you!
Bella: [blushes] Despite the fact that you're creepy and watch me while I sleep, which normally would upset any girl who possesses a functioning brain, I love you too!
Edward: [said broodingly, with an air of mystery] …However, our love can never be! I'm far too dangerous!
PLENTY OF FILLER LATER
Edward: Bella, I love you even though all logic and reasoning tells me to act otherwise!
Bella: [says something witty] You are so gorgeous! Let cruel fate never tear us apart!
Edward: Well, it's been real and all, but you should probably blow this popsicle stand. I'm dangerous!
The fact that Twilight has inspired many teenage girls and boys alike to begin reading and enjoy doing so is respectable, but beyond that, I don't see the appeal. One can only hope that after devouring Meyer's novels, readers will feel inclined to pick up other books, idealistically ones that were written with the intention to leave the reader with more than they started out with, a feat that Twilight simply could not accomplish.
