Twilight is not published in my country, and I haven't seen it advertised in English version in bookstores here either. Maybe I am just not paying attention, who knows. But suddenly everyone everywhere on blogs and whatnot talks about these books. Some states this is the "next Harry Potter" - some even states this has "so much more DEPTH" than Harry Potter. Some wonderful snarks, parodies and lolfan reviews have emerged too, here
for instanceSo. I am curious. I want to check it out myself. I am half way in the first book and I don't think I will read the next three, since everyone says this one is the best.
First let me say - this is a bestseller. And to be a bestseller, a book must do one thing, and one thing only: tap into some theme or dream or wish shared by very many in contemporary society. To be a bestseller across cultures, it must tap into archetypes, archaic instincts, basic human fears or hopes. The argument that a book must be "good" - as in having good writing, excellent characterisations, deep meanings etc. -
because it is a bestseller, is not valid. It
may have these things, but it is not required in order to sell to the masses and make the writer rich.
The only thing required of a bestseller is that the language and/or the characterisations are not so bad and clumsy that they get in the way of the story. The language must be serviceable, functional, that's all it takes. The characters don't have to be realistic, in fact they may be bland and one-dimensional, as long as they deal with central archetypal themes and are placed in situations that seem interesting to a majority of readers.
And then, of course, there is the mystery factor of bestsellers, the reason why publishers can't figure out a deadpan formula. Somehow you as a writer must tap into the
contemporary form archetypal themes take in the mind of modern readers. Not something easily calculated or understood before the fact. Maybe this is why many bestselling writers confess to have just written their own dreams or wish-fulfillments, without too much analysis, to please themselves. They share our contemporary archetypal landscapes, too.
If, on the other hand, the language in a book is
too original, the characters
too complex and the book on the whole is more about
investigating archetypal themes in some setting than it is about
retelling them in that setting, the book will probably not sell in the same number of copies. Because then it will talk to only those who want to be challenged and not those who just want to be entertained. The latter group is by default larger than the former. (NOTE:
I am not saying there is anything the matter at all with those who read only to be entertained!!!!! Also, a book may both challenge and entertain at the same time - those are probably the ones with the
largest selling potential - especially if you as a reader may choose to skip the deeper meanings and still be entertained while you read.
)We
want to read the kinds of stories bestsellers tell - over and over again. These stories are about us, and we know it. That's why we are so much more tolerant towards almost-boring language and carbon-copy characters in these books than in books with more original themes. With archetypal stories, we are able to add to the story and the characters what they lack as written to come alive for us. We just need the writer to not stand in our way with too glaring ineptness.
Verdict on Twilight so far:What level of ineptness that comes across as glaring will vary among readers of course. So far - as I said I am about halfway now, page 300 and something - Twilight seems to oscillate back and forth across the cutoff mark for me. Sometimes Stephenie Meyer's writing works for me, sometimes it absolutely doesn't. Sometimes I find her characters interesting and possible to relate to, sometimes something they say or do throws me head first out of her story in gaping disbelief or disgust.
I plan to post read-along comments to each chapter, or chunk of chapters. So if there is anyone at all out there interested in my reactions to Twilight, stay tuned.