Twilight

How it reads

Twilight is young adult (paranormal romance, specifically), and its dominant mood is romantic. The relationship is the engine of the story. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in a small town setting, in the present day, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are love, identity and coming of age. In weight it's light and escapist — easy to fall into.

It opens a series. It ends on a cliffhanger, so have the next book ready. At 498 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's a mega-bestseller — the book everyone seems to have read.