Does your dream vacation include walking in Edward’s footsteps and photographing Bella’s truck? A jaunty, five-hour drive from Portland or Seattle, up the coast to the farther, rainier side of the Olympic Peninsula will get you your fix. Despite the distance, twilight fans are descending upon the sleepy little logging town of Forks. A woman at the post office told me tourism has gone up 700% since Stephanie Meyer’s internationally bestselling Twilight Saga came out. I can believe it. Before this Forks was mostly famous for being the last place to buy matches and bandaids before entering the Hoh Rain Forest.

Mr. Wonderful and I traveled to Forks this past weekend for a little Twilight action and some hiking in the beautiful Olympic National Park. I’d been to Forks as a child. As a literary tourist, it was much more entertaining.

The truck to the right is parked outside the Forks Visitor Center. It isn’t the same truck as in the movie (little of the real Forks appears in the movie), but it’s a picturesque landmark to get your picture taken with. Every business in town has joined the fun. Local motels announce, “Welcome to the Twilight Zone” and “Edward didn’t sleep here,” (vampires don’t sleep). A gas station on the road to La Push warns “No Vampires Beyond this point,” referring to the dividing line between the Quileute werewolf and Cullen’s territory.

Stay tuned for a list of things to do in Forks.

TITLE: Eclipse
AUTHOR: Stephanie Meyer
SERIES: Twilight Saga Book 3
PUBLICATION: Little, Brown Children’s Books, August 2007
GENRE: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
RATING: <3 <3 <3

Eclipse is my least favorite book in the series, because my beloved Jacob turns into a jerk. Fortunately Edward redeems himself, finally deciding to love Bella and stick with her forever come hell or high water. The book is mostly about the rivalry between the two boys, backed up by the rivalry between the werewolf pack and vampire clan, with Bella in the middle, a neutral “Switzerland.”

Plot:

The Cullens return to Forks and the dividing line between werewolf territory and vampire territory is drawn. Bella and Edward fill out college applications, even though Bella has decided to become a vampire instead of pursuing higher education. Edward is still leery of turning her, but his adoptive father Carslile has agreed to do the deed once Bella graduates. Bella would prefer Edward do it, but he demands a commitment of marriage in exchange. Bella has marriage issues due to her parents young marriage and divorce. A verbal commitment to spend immortality together? No problem. Marriage? Eeeek! She wants to make love to Edward, but he’s old fashioned (born just after 1900) and agrees only after marriage.

Meanwhile, Bella struggles to keep her best friend, Jacob, and her boyfriend, Edward, from killing each other. The Bella Cullen Project, a Twilight Fan Band, has a lovely song about this called Switzerland.

Strange killings are plaguing Seattle (OH NOoooos!) and the Cullens suspect crazed newby vampires. They discover that Victoria, the mate of the antagonist vampire in Book 1, is still trying to kill Bella in order to get revenge on Edward for killing her mate. Victoria is creating an army of new vampires to wipe out the Cullens. The Cullens and the werewolves must put aside their prejudices and join forces to vanquish this common enemy. Jacob proves that he is a much better cuddle partner than Edward.

Discussion:

I was heartbroken that Jacob was a jerk in this book, but since Bella choses to spend eternity with Edward, I suppose it is a good thing that Ms. Meyer illustrates Jacob’s unsuitability as hero material. *sob* There is a lot of teenage angst in this book.

The themes of the book:

1. Compassion – Don’t judge people based on their differences, illustrated in the werewolf/vampire feud. Can’t we all just get along?
2. Immortality – Bella and Edward argue about turning Bella into a vampire, but the pros and cons are not fully fleshed out. Yes, Bella would be able to spend eternity with Edward, but she would have to give up her family and friends. She seems eager to do so.
3. Death – Bella doesn’t have many qualms with giving up her life. Jacob is incensed about her decision, but the topic could have been discussed in greater detail.
4. The Soul – Edward struggles with whether or not he has a soul, which would have been an interesting discussion to have further. Yet, how does an author talk about the soul without bringing up greater concepts of religion? It is a tricky subject to navigate without stepping on anyone’s toes.

The characters, as always, kept me reading. Ms. Meyer has a gift. Page 460 melted my heart. Ah, luv, true luv!!!

TWILIGHT SAGA WEEK:
Monday – Twilight
Tuesday – New Moon
Wednesday – Eclipse
Thursday – 13 Book Recommendations for people who loved Twilight
Friday – Breaking Dawn