Theory

"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was apart of him - and I didn't know how potent that part might be - that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocable in love with him."

If Chapter 8 was a good example of what Twilight as a whole has been about, then Chapter 9 is a good example of why Stephanie Meyer is a mid to below-average writer.

I mentioned before that one of the cardinal rules of writing is "show, don't tell." It's actually a difficult concept, and one that I think even the greatest authors have trouble following. It's easy to advance the plot, convey emotions, and set scenes through dialogue and straight description. It's also boring and simple It doesn't matter what age group you're writing for, no one wants boring and simple.

While much of Twilight so far has broken the show don't tell rule, Chapter 9 is the most egregious offender. It takes place entirely in a car ride and whatever plot advancements/revelations are made comes in the guise of dialogue. Bedward dialogue.

Bella finally calls Edward out on being a vampire - fair enough, but also very benign. The chapter, and story, is harmed by confirming Bella's suspicions through a conversation that amounts to "yeah, I'm a vampire, and you should stay away from me. 'Cause I can smell you and stuff." While I almost appreciate that the conversation is so matter-of-fact, Meyer just isn't a capable enough writer to make it work. I was bored to tears by her previous action pieces, but having Bella discover Edward's true-self during a feeding frenzy or another sort of Grand Guignol scene would not have only made the chapter a bit more colorful and added a sense of danger, but also would have satisfied the "show don't tell" rule.

Or maybe it would have sucked and pissed me off so bad I'd be writing about how much more I would have enjoyed Edward telling Bella in a conversation how much he sucks a mean neck.