My Review of Twilight…

DISCLAIMER:  This is my opinion of the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  If you don’t agree with me, that’s fine.   My purpose in writing this is to give my view of the book.  Feel free to disagree, just don’t be ugly about it. 

In December, my 13 year old son  wanted to read the book Twilight.  We were going to be traveling over the holidays and the trip would be a good opportunity for him to read.  I checked the library and of course, it was checked out.  So I picked up a copy at WalMart.  He was thrilled.  But a few days later, he told me hated it and didn’t want to finish it.  I had heard it was a “girl’s book” so I wasn’t surprised.   Last week, I had finished a book and decided to give Twilight a try.  And I’m glad I did.  Here’s why:

First off, Stephenie Meyer is a great writer!  She drew me in from the first page.  Her descriptions are detailed enough to give a good mental imagine of the scene, but she doesn’t go on and on and on.  The story is engrossing, too.  The plot is pretty straight forward.  Bella Swan has moved to Forks, Washington to live with her father.  Her parents divorced years before and she’s been living in Phoenix with her Mom…until Mom got remarried to Phil.  Phil is a minor league baseball player and Mom wants to travel with him.  Bella volunteered to move to Forks so her Mom could be happy.  But Bella wasn’t happy – until she meets Edward Cullen.  Yep, the vampire.  The rest of the book is about Bella and Edward being in love, him being a vampire, and her not caring one bit.  She isn’t afraid of him and tells him that often.  Edward wants to stay away from Bella because his desire to “feed” on her is very strong, but he can’t help but be with her.  And she doesn’t care.  I’m not going to give any further details in case you decide to read it yourself.  (Which I encourage all parents to do before letting your kid read it.)

There are many themes in the book – denying yourself for the someone you love, accepting a fate you cannot control, etc.  But the main point of the book is Bella love Edward to the point she’s willing to die to be with him.  Or become like him so they can be together for eternity.  Her whole life becomes about him.  Her whole identity is wrapped up in him.  The small group of friends she made when she first came to town become an afterthought when Edward enters the picture.  She’s willing to leave everything behind for him – and that’s my problem with this book.

The last thing pre-teen and teenage girls need to want is to emulate Bella.  Girls who read this book are going to think that Edward & Bella are the ultimate romantic couple.  And they’ll see a 17 year old girl willing to give up her identity to be with a boy – a boy who is dangerous to put it mildly.  Is that really what we want our girls to think love is?  That it’s okay to put yourself in repeated danger to be with a boy?  That it’s okay to turn your back on your friends and family to be with a boy?  That it’s okay to defy and lie to your parents for a boy?  Not me, not my daughter.

I realize it’s a book, but it’s not “just a book” anymore.  There are more books in the series.  The movie Twilight was a huge hit in theaters and filming has begun on the next movie.  This is a phenomenon.  A phenomenon that girls everywhere are immersing themselves in.   My concern is these same girls could find themselves in dangerous situations with boys and think it’s okay.  “It’s not like he’s a vampire or anything…he just loses his temper every now and then…” See where I’m going with this.   If you think I’m overreacting, that’s fine with me.  The old saying Better safe than sorry comes to mind.

So, my feelings are pretty simple – great book, great read…but for adults, not preteen & teenage girls who are still figuring who they are and what love really is.