Dew's Reviews > Midnight Sun [2008 Draft]

This book is an exacting re-tread of the inexplicably popular first book of the Twilight series, the book from which the entire series earned it's nomenclature. Fortunately, Mrs. Meyers (also the name brand of my favorite laundry detergent) proves that she is learning something as she goes along. Thankfully, the writing is improving from book to book though the mythos of the vampires and werewolves still remains contradictory and immaturely expressed.

The best part is that unlike the first book wherein the lack of cohesion made Bella seem like a floating head lost in the absence of either explained or implied physical structure, Edward seems to have a body and isn't entirely cerebrally constructed. It's also nice to get some idea of what Edward ever saw in Bella in the first place because, frankly, the first book was a hot mess when it came to addressing the reciprocity of their relationship. If only there were some indication of Edward's perspective in the first book, he might not have seemed like such an unbalanced and stilted lack-wit.

Unfortunately, since this is such an exacting re-tread, it also seems to offer very little in terms of intrigue in terms of plot and seems grossly overdue, possibly to the point of irrelevance. I do not understand why Mrs. Meyers chose not to give any insight into the Edward character whatsoever in the first book, making him so inscrutable and obtuse as to render his behavior ridiculous and irrational. When Bella asks Edward if he has multiple personality disorder the day before she falls "irrevocably in-love" with him, she had a point. Based on the way the character is written in the first two books, he seems mentally and emotionally unbalanced bordering on deranged. Then in an abrupt about-face, Mrs. Meyers re-writes the entire first book from Edward's perspective in the 5th installment of the series.

This simply smacks of stunt-writing in a series that seems to be running out of imagination. Poor Mrs. Meyers seems to be learning just how difficult is it to keep a teeny-bopper soap-opera going. Perhaps now she might re-write the rest of the novels now that she has developed her skills a little and integrate all of the characters together?


ADDENDUM:

I finally realized why it is that this telling of the introductory novel from Edward's perspective rankles to no end. Edward is written like he is autistic or has asperger syndrome - as though he has no understanding of anything human despite not only living among humans for more than a century, but also that he was human himself once upon a time.

Regarding the issue of Edward's almost complete lack of sexuality in the first novel, it still seems absurd that he killed for a decade while finding his path, but never once considered having sex with anyone ever. It would have been more realistic and interesting if he had voraciously engaged in sexual behavior before adopting a monastic lifestyle, abstaining from all sex for years, possibly decades, before meeting Bella. Otherwise, it just makes him seem even more freakish.

These books truly seem to have been written for 12-year-olds, where holding hands and piggy back rides are the epitome of "love" and neither lead character has any knowledge or interest in sex. By 17, even if a teen doesn't fully understand sexual desire, they at least have a desire for that unknown quantity where their emotions run so hot it feels like their hearts cannot be contained within the confines of their chest and an intensity of longing that certainly feels real at the time.