Twilight: The Book

After a fourth person gushed about it, I picked up the first book in the Twilight series. Twilight is a young adult novel about a high school girl who falls in love with a vampire. The vampire returns her affection, but wants to drink her blood despite his strong love for her.

So starts the cliches: The vampires are godlike in their beauty. They can't go out in the sun. They become frenzied at the smell of blood. They hate themselves for being killers. Native Americans on a nearby reservation have an ancient pack with them.

The girl: Bella Swan is the biggest damsel in distress I can recall. Edward, her vampire love, is constantly rescuing her. She constantly needs his help. She's weak, clumsy, and slow both physically and mentally in comparison to his super-senses. She makes stupid decisions. She is no kind of role model for teen readers.

And I would love to be her.

I wish I could jump into the book, just for a chapter or so, and take her place. Because despite all of the cliches, Twilight is the best book I've read in months.

I can't remember the last time I thought a character in a book was as drop-dead sexy as Edward. (I want him. I want him.) Nor do I remember the last time I sped through a book this fast: I read the first 200 pages before I even realized it. I couldn't wait to get on the train on Monday and Tuesday just so I could get back to the story. I thought about the book, and about Edward, during work. Many times.

Just as Edward fights the compulsion to bite Bella, I am fighting the urge to rush out and devour the second book. I was unable to force myself to savor Book One, but I am going to wait to start Book Two for as long as possible.