Tuesday 3 April 2018

Twilight .. By Stephene Meyer


Here comes my take on the book which has always been under the scrutiny of many critics over the years. Undoubtedly, this is one of those books that has been slammed by many but adored by a lot. It was widely noted that the idea behind this book was not entirely new, although the writing style definitely left its mark to be called as one of the extensively read books in the last decade.

I remember the first time I started reading this book in the British Library late one evening and you wouldn't believe, but I was done reading the entire book within 2 hours 40 minutes until the lights of the library went out and the librarian had to kick me out. I was absolutely engrossed in the story and couldn't wait to get my hands on its sequel the other day and I made sure to finish reading the entire four volumes, that same week.


Picking this book up was to curb my curiosity to know what the hype was all about as this book was made a huge deal during those days. Even though it cannot be categorized as a fine literature, still I have to say it definitely lived up to the hype for me. I think the book exhibited a surprising depth of emotion, intimacy, and even sensuality without ever resorting to anything explicit. The amazing level of communication between the two teen protagonists had a stark honesty and the consistent battle that rages inside the lead character - Bella's mind between the knowledge that Edward is perfect for her and the knowledge that being with him constantly puts her in danger, was endearing.

The first two-thirds of the book moves at rather languid but steady pace owing to the extensive character and relationship development. After that, it almost instantly turns into a taut suspense/thriller when Bella's life is threatened. Even though the book is written entirely in first-person from Bella's perspective, I thought the author did a good job of conveying Edwards's thoughts and feelings too, through extensive use of dialog, which brings to my point on thinking that the book - "Midnight Sun", which tells us Edward's perspective of Twilight version, was completely unnecessary.

So, to summarize what I have been trying to convey is that Twilight is one of those books that has touched me in profound ways, right from its preface. And to the people who seriously hate it, I would like to say that it is pure fiction! Why do you want to look for realism in it and make sense of what the supernatural means? Can't you just appreciate the creativity of the imagination behind a story that puts fantasy to yet another level?

Happy Reading!!!