The truth about "twilight"

With the highly anticipated new book, Breaking Dawn, coming out this Saturday it is hard not getting lost in all the obsessive fan-hype. Are you Team Edward or Jacob? Or maybe you are more middle ground and claim you are Team Switzerland? It amazes me that this book has captured such a fervent audience, and I want to know why!!


Don't worry, I'm not going to sit here and write another critique about how this book has some serious flaws; Edward being a creepy stalker; Bella being a weak female lead; and the moral implications that follow, we are all aware (or should be) how illogical our addiction to this series is. It is not great writing... or is it? Maybe we just want another series and author to latch onto now that Harry Potter is over. Or maybe Meyer has continued a magical ethereal world that we all secretly wish we were a part of.

I can't put these books down, but at the same time want to reach in the book and throttle some of the characters and in that may be the key to its sucess. Meyer took a typical "vampire falls in love with human" story and made us care about the characters, even empathize with them like we know them personally. Take Edward. We each have our own idea of what Edward looks, acts, and sounds like. He leaps off the fictional page and becomes an icon for thousands of teenage girls to swoon and pour their hopes and aspirations into. I hope that they don't act like Bella and completely go catatonic when they grow up and realize no guy will ever meet their Edward-like standards.


I'm also aware that many people like this series not because they believe it was the best book ever written, but like me, feel like it is a fun, light story to get lost in. Isn't that what a book is all about? Does every book have to be landmark literature to be a good read? Maybe twilight has taught us this.