February 15, 2009

Reviewed By Haneen Shaheen Rafi
 

I hate series books — especially those that leave me vulnerable to juvenile feelings of a 13-year old teenage girl experiencing her first crush: the obsession, the continuous day-dreaming and the mental anguish of not having completed the reading in one session. And Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga is one such book series that has caused a serious case of ambivalence within me which I cannot afford to cater to.

Consisting of a total of four books, it revolves around Edward Cullen, who is a forever 17-year old bronze-haired vampire whose fatal attraction to Bella sets into motion an incredible story of love, sacrifice, self-control and, above all, destiny.

Twilight has been hailed as a chaste teenage love story of a vampire and his obsessive desire for a human, yet the author incorporates a lot more than just the intense succumbing of both characters to an undeniable chemistry. The choices one makes and how our perceptions of good and evil vary are underlying themes in the narrative.

Though the author skilfully assimilated a variety of characters and backdrops — from lonely Forks to the glittery Volterra in Italy — the reader’s attention never wanders far from Edward and Bella. Their passionate declarations of love are reminiscent of Bronte’s Jane Eyre; the desperation of loving and being loved in return and the over-the-top intensity of their feelings are a parallel trajectory in the saga, even if they are at times over-kill.

One jaded colleague remarked that girls are now on the ‘hunt’ (pun intended) for the perfect vampire, a replica of Edward as Meyer has portrayed him. With just the right amount of doting, over-protective enough to ‘throw himself in front of a bullet’ for Bella, and of course breathtakingly beautiful, Edward Cullen qualifies to be in the league of Mr Darcy, Mr Thornton and of course his namesake, Edward Rochester.

Even the book’s cover has a story behind it. The apple represents the forbidden fruit which in turn symbolises Bella and Edward’s love which is also forbidden. Same is the case with the covers of the following three novels as they represent the transformation of Bella, and how from being the weakest link she eventually becomes the strongest.

There is also room to incorporate the ageless battle between vampires and werewolves and how Bella must stake her loyalties and in turn her future with either of the two, while at the same time completely breaking away from her human life.

It is said that the author had not written much for around six years when she started Twilight, the flow of her writing is surprisingly smooth and shows her innate insight into the emotional reactions of both Edward and Bella. The self-destructive spree that Bella resorts to in an attempt to rid herself of the numbness caused by Edward’s abandonment in New Moon is brilliantly portrayed.

 

The author has skilfully assimilated a variety of characters and backdrops — from lonely Forks to the glittery Volterra in Italy — but the reader’s attention never wanders far from Edward and Bella.

 

It compels the reader to feel a similar sort of helplessness that their separation causes the lovers. Edward even likens his falling for Bella as being as effortless as falling over a cliff, and abstaining from it as gruesome and difficult as hanging on.

There is candour in Meyer’s style and each emotion is credible enough for the reader to suffer from withdrawal symptoms once finished. The praise on the book’s back cover claims that the story has been ‘recounted in hypnotic, dreamy prose’. Platonic love could never have been packaged so well, so there is nothing wrong with you if you read the book several more times than what would be deemed normal.

Meyer had started to write Midnight Sun, a companion novel to Twilight, from the perspective of Edward Cullen which was to allow readers a closer look into the workings of the teenage vampire’s mind and his unexplainable fixation.

However, writing was halted when 12 chapters of the unfinished manuscript were leaked over the internet. Meyer said that she was unable to complete the work in her current frame of mind and so the book is on hold indefinitely.

The first book having been made into a motion picture, the series has already given a heavy blow to the household saleability of Harry Potter. And, Edward, having been done justice to by onscreen heartthrob Robert Pattinson, I see no reason why millions of people around the world will not be gripped by Twilight mania.


 

Twilight
By Stephenie Meyer
Atom Books, UK
ISBN 978-1-904233-65-7
434pp. Rs595

 

New Moon
By Stephenie Meyer
Atom Books, UK
ISBN 978-1-904233-88-6
595pp. Rs595

 

Eclipse
By Stephenie Meyer
Atom Books, UK
ISBN: 978-1-904233-91-6
628pp. Rs595

 

Breaking Dawn
By Stephenie Meyer
Atom Books, UK
ISBN 978-1-905654-29-1
756pp. Rs895