Twilight

Wednesday, 15 October 2008 05:06

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Year: 2005
Price: About $14.95

Ever since J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, no other books have created such a commotion among youngsters and light-readers. Just like the wizard books, “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer has found its niche audience in the young adult sector; however, it has reached a cross-over point where not only both young adults, but tweens and adults have fallen victims of the “Twilight” mania. This novel marks the beginning of the vampire saga that comes to an end with “Breaking Dawn”, the fourth installment of the series.

At a first glance, “Twilight” seems like nothing out of the ordinary- yet another young adult book if you must. However, if there’s one thing we grow to learn is never to judge a book by its cover (or in this case, by its label).

If the idea of reading the same book someone way younger than you reading does not bother you, then go right ahead- Harry Potter fans to the front of the line.

I picked up Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” out of mere curiosity and boredom. Having read all the Harry Potter books and patiently waiting for the next movie to hit the theatres, my mind was craving a magical and out of this world distraction that can only be achieved through reading.

While browsing YouTube I came across a trailer for a movie that literally me dejó con la boca abierta- “Twilight”, I hit the replay button at least five times, it was haunting and the story line seemed quite interesting. Yes love stories are played out, but not in all of them the leading lady is an everyday Jane while Prince Charming is not only charming but a “vegetarian” vampire- coming to theatres in December… bummer.

I couldn’t take that trailer off my mind, so I googled “Twilight” and found out that it is the film version of a novel by Stephenie Meyers- I was out the door on my way to the nearest Barnes & Noble in a matter of seconds.

While “Twilight” is your typical teenage love story, it is also a coming of age novel that explores human nature, society and the inevitable what-ifs in life. You’ll be surprised at how well crafted this novel is… Stephenie Meyers approaches vampires in a totally different way than Anne Rice. For starters, the vampires in “Twilight” are “vegetarian”, well, sort of- they have sworn off human blood and quench their thirst with wild animals.

The imagery is striking and the story is well crafted in such a way that the almost five hundred pages will go by faster than Tila Tequila’s fifteen minutes of fame.

“Twilight” is definitely a great read- plus it’s something you can share with your younger siblings… a good excuse to get them off the video games.