Twilight....Yes, I am one of those people.

Like many female Mormons of a certain age, I have read--and enjoyed--Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. I first picked up Twilight a few years back, when it had first come out and before it became the "next Harry Potter" publishing phenomenon. I saw a small little blurb in BYU's Daily Universe, which I still read online even after graduating (the letters to the editor are always amusing...and just a little bit scary), about a Mormon housewife who'd gone and written a book. About vampires. Being a fan of fantasy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I checked it out at the local library in Monterey and read it. I enjoyed it moderately but didn't think anything of it until nearly two years later. Then I went back to Utah. I went to visit my sister and my adorable nephew and to do research on Mormon tabernacles for a term paper I was writing. After Sunday dinner, my aunt and female cousins were discussing Eclipse, the third book in the series, which had just come out. Unbeknownst to me, Twilight was suddenly wildly popular and I had missed two books. So, as I was wandering in the BYU Bookstore the next day, buying Creamery chocolate milk and chocolate covered cinnamon bears, I also picked up a copy of New Moon to read on the plane ride home. As soon as I got home to DC, I ran to Borders to buy Eclipse and devoured it in a day. I am, like many people, eagerly awaiting the release of the fourth and final book, Breaking Dawn, which comes out next weekend.


In anticipation of the new book, and being extraordinarily bored in my current unemployed state, I re-read the whole series this past month. And I came to one disconcerting conclusion: I don't like Bella or Edward. Now this wouldn't mean anything if Bella and Edward were side characters who only showed up for minor scenes, but they happen to be the two main characters. And yet, despite my discovery that I dislike the two main characters, I will still attempt to retain my cool and nonchalant demeanor next Saturday morning as I rush to purchase Breaking Dawn. (I hate pre-ordering. Sure it might be cheaper, but what if there's a mix-up in the mail and it doesn't arrive until Monday?!?! I couldn't wait all weekend!) So why, if I dislike the main characters, would I even bother to read the next book? And why in the world do I not like Edward, when approximately 32,468,132 women are in love with him and blasphemously call him the "next Mr. Darcy"?


Why I Don't Like Bella and Edward

1. Bella falls apart when Edward leaves. Disclaimer: I have never had a bad break-up, never had a boyfriend/husband/soulmate die, and never thought I'd lost the love of my life. I don't understand the pain (though I can only imagine how awful it would be to loose David) and I certainly don't know how I'd react to that kind of devastation. I think it might be somewhat similar to Bella's initial catatonic state after Edward leaves her at the beginning of New Moon. What I cannot accept, however, is how completely incapable Bella is at continuing to live her life in the weeks and months that follow, that she ceases to live her life for herself. I come from the Elizabeth Bennett school of womanhood and I like to think that women are strong, resilient and independent, that the fancies and affections of men can strengthen us but not break us. Perhaps this is unrealistic (I have never tested the theory) but I find Bella's response unrealistic as well and truly dislike that Bella becomes a woman who cannot breathe without Edward by her side. (Irony being, of course, that she'll eventually loose the need to breathe if she keeps Edward by her side....but that's another tangent.) Not to mention that once Edward returns, he becomes a control-freak who won't let Bella out of his sight and refuses to let her visit her best friend, a massive wolf-man who can more than protect the fragile Bella should any danger arise. What is more frustrating is that Bella actually allows Edward to control her and does not fight for her own voice and takes no action. If that doesn't scream co-dependency, I don't know what does.

2. Edward is constantly described as "perfect," "an angel," and other such other-worldly descriptions. Edward is hot, I get it. Bella idolizes Edward, and while Edward is, by all accounts, deeply in love with Bella, the relationship teeters on the premise that Edward is an angelic perfect savior of a vampire while Bella is nothing more than a breakable and ordinary human girl. Here lies the inherent allure of their relationship, but also the inevitable downfall.

3. I suppose my biggest irritation with Bella and Edward rests on what I consider to be the contrived nature of their deep and everlasting relationship. I can't--and don't--accept that they are soulmates because I have never been given adequate proof of its existence. Sure, Bella smells like the most delicious slice of pie Edward has ever been around, but is this something to build a relationship on? Yes, Edward is mystified and intrigued by the fact that he can't read Bella's mind, but is this a reason to devote one's life to another person? What other reasons have we been given to explain Edward's love for Bella? Meanwhile, Bella is completely in awe of Edward, by his good looks, charm, and intelligence. These are all good reasons to love a person. But Bella and Edward are not just in love but are eternally connected, are "soulmates." And this is a plot point that I just can't accept without further proof. Without accepting that, it makes it very difficult to like Bella and Edward.


Now, a few rebuttals to my own diatribe. I've read Stephenie Meyer's answers to these same complaints on her website (http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/) and I must say, they make sense and I see where she is coming from. Understanding the author's perspective and reasonable thinking makes me more understanding of why Bella and Edward act and think and talk the way they do. I have utmost respect for the characters that Meyer has created and the choices that they make. That does not mean, however, that I like what I read within the books themselves.


Why I Continue to Read and Enjoy the Twilight Series

1. The Meyer Universe: It's the same reason I love Harry Potter too. It's all about the myths and universe that one author has created. I love the world that Bella and Edward and Jacob Black inhabit, a world in which vampires do not have fangs and hide from silly things like crosses, garlic and the sun. It makes more sense to me that vampires should not be so separated from the human race that they prey upon by inconvenient and inconsequential objects, that vampires should experience regret and remorse but still be driven by a thirst for human blood. It seems almost logical that an Native American tribe should believe that they descend from wolves and that men still turn into werewolves in order to protect their tribe from lurking dangers, including vampires. It's a world I can accept and believe and quite frankly, I enjoy it.

2. The characters: Sure, I may have some issues with the two main characters, but that doesn't change the fact that Stephenie Meyer knows her characters, that they are fully-developed people with backstories and complications and motivations. Characters are really what drive a book and make it so interesting and for that fact alone--that Meyer has interesting characters--I would continue to read.

3. It's young adult fiction: Think about all the most popular and enduring books of our time: Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. All of them fall into the category of YA fiction. They may not be the most well-written novels--certainly none could ever match the beautiful and poetic prose of Steinbeck's East of Eden or take you through the psychological journey of criminal like Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment--but these are not meant to be great novels. They are meant to be entertaining novels and that is exactly what they offer. They are character-driven page-turners that are quick to read, easy to enjoy, and still a pleasure to read again and again. And though some may think that YA fiction is superficial and childish, no one who has read Harry Potter could claim that they do not deal with very mature topics and have layers and layers of complexities and subtext. There is much to be found in YA literature for a more mature reader, but the average young adult reader can still enjoy the plot and characters and learn how much fun reading can be. In the last few years, I have come to adore YA fiction. For the most part, I know that a YA labeled book will be clean of sex scenes and profanities, of the truly horrific images that contemporary adult fiction authors seem to like to weave into their tales, that the characters will be entertaining and interesting, and that it'll be fun to read. YA is not a chore to read and they keep you wanting more. Plus, YA fiction is not, as the name implies, restricted to adolescent readers. Many YA books, I have found, are well-written and full of surprising and beautiful prose and subtle introspection. So I will continue to read the YA fiction that Meyer produces and enjoy the journey I am taken on. It's guaranteed to be an entertaining ride.


So...only 9 more days to go until Breaking Dawn comes out. I'm curious to see how it'll end and maybe, just maybe, rooting for Jacob Black to get the girl.