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Midnight Sun is a companion novel to the book Twilight by author Stephenie Meyer. It is a retelling of the events of Twilight from the perspective of Edward Cullen as opposed to that of Bella Swan.

It started as a simple character exercise, with a single chapter from Edward's perspective, but she came to realize she had to do the whole book.[2] Meyer has stated that Twilight is the only possible book from the series that she plans to rewrite from Edward's perspective.[3]

To give them a better feel of Edward's character, Meyer allowed Catherine Hardwicke, the director of the film adaptation of Twilight, and Robert Pattinson, the actor who plays Edward, to read some completed chapters of the novel while they were filming the movie. Midnight Sun allows fans to know more about the Cullens as vampires and a family.[4]

In May 2020, despite previously abandoning the manuscript, Meyer announced the release date of Midnight Sun via an internet announcement. It was officially released on August 4, 2020.[1]

Plot summary[]

When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella's side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward's version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.

This unforgettable tale, as told through Edward's eyes, takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As the reader learns more fascinating details about Edward's past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, they understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?

In Midnight Sun, Stephenie Meyer transports us back to a world that has captivated millions of readers, and brings us an epic novel about the profound pleasures and devastating consequences of immortal love.

Pre-release history[]

Midnightsun

As of August 28, 2008, the release date of the book was postponed indefinitely and it was not certain that it will be published. Meyer halted the writing of Midnight Sun after the illegal leak of 12 chapters of the unfinished manuscript on the Internet.

She stated, "If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely." Meyer does plan to publish the book, because she believes Edward deserves to have his version of the story.[2]

Meyer later slightly recanted the statement that appeared on her website, telling EW "That was a joke! And it sounded so serious amidst all the lawyer talk and I think my fans thought, wow, she's threatening to kill everyone! [Laughing.] I felt kind of bad about that. I never felt any anger, actually. Just a lot of sadness. I mean it was a sucker punch — like someone came up behind you and just hammered you in the kidneys and you had no idea it was coming."[5] She has made the leaked chapters available on her website in fairness to her readers, now that the novel has been compromised before its intended publication date.

In a recent interview done with Entertainment Weekly, Meyer has stated that, "So my goal is to go for, like, I don't know, two years without ever hearing the words Midnight Sun. And once I'm pretty sure that everyone's forgotten about it, I think I'll be able to get to the place where I'm alone with it again. Then I'll be able to sneak in and work on it again."[6] This statement jokingly lead to the creation of a nickname for Midnight Sun, created at the Twilight Lexicon: Dark High Noon, in an attempt to still be able to talk about Midnight Sun, but not mention its name directly.

Cover[]

Book-midnightsun

Working cover

The cover, prior to the release, was planned to be that of a red sun fading in the horizon.

The actual released cover is that of a cut pomegranate with seeds spilling outwards. Like the apple of Twilight, pomegranate seeds carry significance to how Bella is pulled into the supernatural world. The pomegranate represents Hades entrapping Persephone in the underworld after consuming one seed.

References[]


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