Feature
October, 07 2008
Loving Twilight
by Leslie Schelat-McBride
It all started about a month ago.
James and I were bummed because Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been delayed until next summer, seeing as Daniel Radcliffe is a blossoming star of the stage, and he chooses to do so sans clothing.
In an attempt to console my sadness over the postponement of the next cinematic installation of Harry Potter's glorious life, a friend told me that it was going to be ok, because now Twilight is coming out earlier.
What? Twilight? What the heck is that, and why should that make us feel any better about waiting even longer to see our favorite wizard in action?
Four books, more than 2,000 pages and countless hours later, I'm in love with a fictional character, and a teenage vampire at that. Needless to say, I get it. (James? Not so much.)
I love reading and always have. Growing up, my staples were any selection from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, which I received for Christmas in the first grade and read no less than 20 times - seriously. Now I'm a sucker for historical books, especially those about WWII and Negro League baseball, a genre that I nicely balance with a plethora of designer name - dropping fluff affectionately known as chick lit. But I was never into fantasy. I can't even begin to explain why James and I decided to start reading Harry Potter together, especially since it was 2004 - six years after the first book's release. So when two of my very close, typically logical, and often like-minded friends recommended I read a book about vampires? Psh. Right.
I was especially not enthused when I realized not only were there vampires, but they also were teenage vampires. And they were in love. And the book was in the “Young Adult” section. I was ready to say, “Next, please!” but for a reason still unbeknownst to me, I was intrigued.
And then I was impressed.
And then, a bewildered James in tow, I was frantically driving to several Target and Borders locations at 9:30 p.m., desperately searching for the second book, New Moon, because finishing Twilight in less than three days wasn't enough. I needed more.
When it took less than 24 hours for me to read all 563 pages of New Moon, I knew I had a problem. I was debating Team Edward versus Team Jacob with friends. I was energetically describing the books' events to James, who obviously could care less about a dreamy 17-year-old boy whose skin glistens in the sunlight. I was trying to convince other questioning faces of the logical reasons why I had developed a rampant obsession and why they should too. I was looking up movie trailers and trying to figure out whose teenage daughter I could nicely offer to take to the movie, when really it is I that cannot wait to go.
After realizing that I had neglected approximately 90 percent of my responsibilities in favor of reading vampire stories, I staged my own intervention and refused to allow myself to visit any of my favorite book-buying locations. This was helped by the region's gas shortage, as I couldn't validate a trip to the bookstore when some people weren't able to make it to work. After a two-week hiatus, James took pity upon me and downloaded the e-books of Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, which I quickly devoured, followed by the leaked-to-the-Internet and now not-to-be published draft of Midnight Sun.
And they were all SO good (I’m not divulging any more, though, as not to spoil things for other Twilighters.).
Thinking about this makes me chuckle, as it's so out of character for me. The only books I have read with such ferocity were the last two Harry Potter books, and I validated that behavior because they were released so far apart. Now I have no validation, only an obsession. And for what? These are not overly complex plots, the characters aren't the strongest I've seen, and the books won't be called classics. But Stephanie Meyer has done something right, and the only negative thing I can say is that this is the end of the saga. Now what is a vampire-loving girl to do?
Start reading again, of course!
(Note: If anyone's kids are reading these books, I recommend reviewing Breaking Dawn before turning it over. I won't give any spoilers, but in my opinion, it's worth the look to make sure you feel it's age-appropriate for your son or daughter.)
