Unfortunately, the secondary characters are also where Meyer most aggressively elevates the misogyny of her original books. Meyer also delves into how their sister Alice’s powers work, offering an intriguing glimpse into her mind that was missing from previous books. His brother Emmett’s brawl with a bear provides necessary comedic relief as Edward is once again in the midst of fretting over Bella’s safety. The truly charming moments in “Midnight Sun” instead come from the side characters in Edward’s adopted family who offer a compelling reprieve from Edward’s melodrama. Now, “Midnight Sun” only emphasizes these cliches, referring to her lifting her face toward the rain as unlike “normal girls” who “wouldn’t raise their faces to the drizzle” because of their makeup.īut stalking and objectification are par for the course when it comes to the “Twilight” franchise. Bella’s defining characteristics have always been her selfless nature and clumsiness. Rather than try to modernize her female protagonist, Meyer instead goes out of her way to solidify Bella’s status as the epitome of the “not like other girls” trope. His comments throughout the novel that he would “listen for her no” mean nothing within this context, where he doesn’t even give her the chance to protest his unknown presence.Īnd what proof does Edward have that she needs his protection as she sleeps? Well, he kills a very threatening, nonvenomous spider in her room. Because his intentions are pure – outside, of course, visions of murdering Bella – Meyer explicitly elevates him from the typical peeping Tom. Meyer goes a step further to defend some of Edward’s more questionable actions, but her attempts to justify his tendency toward stalking remain unconvincing. In a particularly egregious moment, Edward fantasizes over slaughtering the Quileute Tribe, which is rather upsetting considering that Meyer has profited off the tribe while fabricating myths surrounding their culture. And in this case, many fans are returning to the nostalgia the franchise holds, as well as a chance to find closure in a story many thought Meyer would never complete.īut where this new perspective could have been an opportunity for Meyer to modernize her work, she instead doubles down on some of the more problematic aspects of her past novels.
One turns to “Twilight” knowing that, though it lacks clever writing and complex narratives, it certainly offers an entertaining read. Released Tuesday, “Midnight Sun” has all the trappings of a classic “Twilight” novel – a meandering plot, dramatic internal monologues and repressed teenagers. It’s no surprise that, in the midst of quarantine monotony, fans crashed the author’s website when the “Midnight Sun” publishing date was announced. But what has emerged since then is the “Twilight” Renaissance – a sudden resurgence in fans rehashing details ranging from the classic love triangle to Bella’s supposedly sexy khaki skirt. Stephenie Meyer had set aside the retelling of the first “Twilight” novel from Edward’s perspective in 2008 after the manuscript was leaked. Edward Cullen has been 17 for a while – and “Midnight Sun” reveals that even vampires aren’t immune to overindulging in teenage angst.
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