New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer
Book Read: June 2007
Edward stood, motionless as a statue, just a few feet from the mouth of the alley. His eyes were closed, the rings underneath them deep purple, his arms relaxed at his sides, his palms turned forward. His expression was very peaceful, like he was dreaming pleasant things. The marble skin of his chest was bare -- there was a small pile of white fabric at his feet. The light reflecting from the pavement of the square gleamed dimly from his skin.
I'd never seen anything more beautiful -- even as I ran, gasping and screaming, I could appreciate that. And the last seven months meant nothing. And his words in the forest meant nothing. And it did not matter if he did not want me. I would never want anything but him, no matter how long I lived."
~New Moon, Stephenie Meyer
So ... New Moon ... the sequel to my much-beloved Twilight. This book makes it hard for me to summarize my own thoughts in a coherent manner. I don't quite know where to start, so I guess I'll just jump right in with little to no preamble.
I guess a bit of a summary is in order. After the events in Twilight, New Moon opens in a fairly conventional way -- one that we would expect. Edward and Bella are still together, still very much in love -- that kind of love where you hear birds singing all the time and the world seems to hold an extra bit of sparkle. In short, "young love". It's the perfect fairy tale, except for the fact that she is human and he is a vampire. Even that doesn't seem to stop them, but, sadly, real life intrudes. A frightening incident occurs at the beginning of this story, leading Edward to a heartbreaking decision. He must leave Bella. For her own good. He does so, throwing Bella into something akin to the firey pits of her own personal hell. Slowly, she manages to pull herself out of the depression. Sort of. She knows life will never be the same, but she tries to go on. She eventually befriends one of the Native American teenagers on the nearby reservation. His father and Bella's father are old friends -- so close to each other that they are practically family. This friendship seems to help Bella recover, until she realizes that her new friend carries a very dark secret -- one that might destroy them both. Add that to the fact that Bella seems to be a veritable magnet for doom and disaster, and, then, Edward's reappearance, and you have the recipe for a very entertaining and enjoyable story, indeed.
I need to say, up front, that New Moon both enchanted and infuriated me. Never have I so enjoyed a book that I also found so terribly tedious at times. I tore through the first book -- quite literally -- reading it in only two days. This might not be fast for some people, but it is for me. Especially since I currently have houseguests, home renovations, and a toddler with which to contend. Needless to say, I can't exactly spend every moment of the day reading. But this was exactly what I did with Twilight. Literally, I could not put that book down.
I was expecting the same with New Moon, but it wasn't the case. I still managed to get through it in a bit under a week, but it took me a lot longer, and it felt more like slogging through something because I had to, rather than because I wanted to. I'm not sure this makes much sense, so let me say again: Overall, I enjoyed this book. A Lot. But not as much as Twilight.
I think the stumbling block in this book, for me, was that Edward was so very, very absent for most of it. I hadn't realized how attached I had become to him as a character. He and his family are so very interesting and complex. So very entertaining. Unfortunately, when he took his leave of Bella, he also took his leave of the story, since the tale is told through Bella's eyes and voice. It's not that I strictly dislike Bella. It's more that I don't care as much about her. She spends a lot of time moping in this book, which is understandable. And a lot of time trying to spring back into some form of a life, which is also understandable. But, she uses her new-found friend and the feelings he has for her as a crutch. A way to make herself feel better about life. Until she feels she can't get through a day without this friend who has come to mean so much to her. And, this, I did not like. On a couple of levels. For one thing, it seemed cruel and very selfish -- two things I would not have expected from Bella. For another, it almost seemed like a betrayal of the way she feels for Edward. If she loves him ... if he is her destiny ... if she truly believes he is the only one in the world for her ... how can she even think about starting over with someone new? Although I figure I am probably being unfair to poor Bella -- after all, it is entirely human to want to go back to "normal", even when you know "normal" is totally out of reach -- I have to admit that these things irritated me. Also, to me, Bella just isn't a very interesting character. I have a hard time figuring out what the attraction is about her. Why all the supernatural beings around her want to spend their time saving her. So often, it seems like they would be better off just making her into a snack pack and being done with the whole thing. Often, the most interesting thing about her is her relationship with Edward. There was just enough of that left, albeit one-sided from her point of view, to hold my interest through the vast majority of this book. At least, until page 452, which is where Edward, finally, makes his entrance back into the story. And, I can tell you -- never have I been so very glad to see a fictional character. Well, you know, figuratively speaking, of course.
All in all, I enjoyed New Moon. I thought the pacing was good. The plot was enjoyable. And the book is easy to read. Even with Edward's absence and Bella's more irritating qualities, it was a story that drew me in. At the same time, I liked Twilight so, so much more. I think I could have loved New Moon just as much, if only it had contained more of the friendly vampires I had come to love through the first book. I believe I felt their absence almost as keenly as Bella did.
X-posted to GJ
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