Friday, October 19, 2007

Book #54: New Moon


Title: New Moon
Author: Stephenie Meyer
When I was a freshman in college, I met Eddie. And like when Bella met her Edward, my Edward and I had a strong instant connection. I wanted to be with him all the time. I couldn't get enough of him. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my existence with him. And like Bella's Edward, after a wonderful year together, he left me and went to a far away place where I couldn't see him or talk to him (in our case, it was Ukraine, where he was a missionary). I was devastated. I missed him. I felt like my heart had been ripped from my body (ok, not really, but I'm trying to extend the analogy). And when I got to school in the fall, I met Jacob (his real name was Mike). Mike was like my little puppy dog. He had been an English major. He spoke French. He loved International Cinema. He also really liked me, despite the fact that he knew I was broken (again, extending the analogy). I was lonely. Mike wasn't Eddie, but he was someone. Someone who was fun to be with. Someone who liked me. Someone who I liked (but didn't love) back. So we hung out. A lot. But I knew, like Bella knew, that the hanging out meant different things to me than it did to Mike.
Mike didn't turn into a werewolf (but he did have one particularly hairy roommate). Eventually, he got sick of my unwavering devotion to my vampire (missionary) and started dating my roommate. Things got weird. The school year ended. A year later, Eddie came home and the hole in my heart began to heal (again, while I was excited for him to come home, I did not feel like I was missing my heart). We got married. I did not require that he turn me into a vampire before he could take my virginity. And we're living happily ever after, as mortals. How boring.
My analysis of New Moon? Bella whines a lot. But I could really relate on many levels. Of the three books, I think it just might be my favorite. I guess I have so much happy requited love in my own life that I likes me some sad tales of frustrated, horny teenage vampires and werewolves.

2 comments:

Courtney said...

How fun that I mostly know you from the missing-Eddie years - the ones where he left you and you pined away for you. I don't remember Mike though!

Shelah said...

yeah, Mike was a sophomore year phenomenon. I didn't start working at Study Abroad until junior year, and he was long gone and in law school by then. So I was lonely again.