Twilight (2005) by Stephenie Meyer is the first novel in the Twilight Saga, a cultural phenomenon that redefined YA paranormal romance. The story follows Bella Swan, a socially awkward teenager who moves to the perpetually rainy town of Forks, Washington, and falls in love with Edward Cullen, a dazzlingly handsome vampire with a tortured soul. Their forbidden romance—complicated by Edward’s thirst for Bella’s blood and the threat posed by other vampires—unfolds with a mix of gothic atmosphere and teen melodrama.
Meyer’s prose leans into breathless romanticism (“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…”), polarizing readers with its intensity but captivating millions. The novel’s themes of obsession, sacrifice, and the allure of the dangerous “other” struck a chord, spawning four sequels and a blockbuster film franchise.
A love-it-or-hate-it milestone in 2000s pop culture, Twilight remains a touchstone for its unabashed embrace of fantasy wish-fulfillment.
