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

I admit that while vampire novels aren't particularly my genre, young adult and LDS-authored novels on the national market are, so when I read a blurb about Twilight in my library's Book Page, I was interested. Now that I've finished it, I have to say bravo to this new author.

Bella Swan moves from sunny Phoenix, Arizona to her dad's house in Forks, Washington (read: the rainiest spot in the United States) when her mother remarries. She misses the sun, she's got to deal with being the new kid in high school, and she has to sit next to a fabulously good-looking guy in biology class who, for some reason, is outdoing himself to avoid her. Edward Cullen is aloof; he and his four siblings look like models, drive flashy cars to school, and sit together at lunch, never eating anything, never mixing with other kids. Bella's interest only deepens when Edward saves her life from a sliding car in the icy school parking lot, a feat that should have been impossible by normal standards of reality. Between careful observation, stray rumors from friends at a nearby Indian reservation, and determined questioning, Bella discovers the dangerous truth about Edward: he is a vampire, he likes her (and the feeling is mutual), and she is his most tempting flavor. The Cullens are "reformed" vampires, drinking animal instead of human blood, but the threat of Edward slipping up is very real. Keeping their relationship healthy requires a great deal of conscious personal choice. Lucky for both of them, Edward's family likes Bella and for the most part, supports them. And this is where the next complication comes in: not all vampires are reformed, and a trio of "regular" ones discovers the human in Cullens' midst and devote themselves to hunting her. The book ends in a wild attempt to escape/defeat the bad vampires.

Five hundred pages is a lot, but the pace moves quickly, thanks to continual and ever-growing tension. The characterization is strong, and Meyer really nailed that elusive quality, "voice." Reading closely from the point of view of someone who does twice a week critiques on mid-grade and young adult novels, there were perhaps a couple spots where information was unnecessarily repeated, but I wouldn't have noticed had I not been preprogrammed to look, if you will. I meant to just start the book the other night, but stayed up to read the whole 500 pages, not noticing the time slipping away. The very ending is a bit open-ended, but that seems to be to allow for upcoming sequels, so we'll have to wait to judge the overall effectiveness.

Since this is a forum for LDS literature, I think it's important to note that Meyer's theological background comes through. She has been very open about her church membership, responding on Amazon.com's interview that the most influential book in her life has been the Book of Mormon. No, there are no Christ figures in Twilight, but some of the novel's basic underpinnings are some of our most important doctrines as well: the importance of choice in the face of knowledge, and the need to triumph over the natural man.

I highly recommend Twilight.

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Rose Green
December 1, 2005