Twilight Summary

This Twilight summary gives a chapter-by chapter-account of the first of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books, about Bella Swan and her vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen.

CLICK HERE for an overview of the Twilight novel

But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil,
Thou shalt not eat of it:
For in the day that thou eatest thereof
Thou shalt surely die

Genesis 2:17

The above Biblical quote appears at the beginning of the Twilight book. It ties in nicely with the front cover illustration of a pair of female hands holding a red apple, meant to represent the forbidden fruit, and sets the mood for the story that follows (which is also the subject of the 2008 Twilight movie).

Twilight summary: Instant attraction
Here comes your chapter-by-chapter Twilight summary, which begins with Bella's arrivals in Forks town.

Chapter 1: First Sight
Bella Swan arrives in the cloudy town of Forks to live with her father, Charlie. She is dreading her first day at the local high school but soon finds herself on friendly terms with a few of the kids. She’s having lunch at the school cafeteria when she sees the Cullen siblings for the first time. She is transfixed by their physical perfection, particularly that of the brooding beautiful Edward Cullen. But when she ends up sitting next to him in science class, he seems repulsed by her.

Chapter 2: Open Book
The next day at school is both better and worse. It’s better because Bella knows what to expect. It’s worse because Edward Cullen isn’t there. As much as he seems to dislike her, Bella can’t stop thinking about him, much to her annoyance. A few days later, it snows and Edward Cullen comes back to school. This time, he is far more civil towards Bella, even engaging her in conversation and asking her questions about her mundane life.

Chapter 3: Phenomenon
A kid called Tyler almost crashes into Bella as she stands by her truck. But Edward dashes in front of her and holds back the oncoming car. Bella has to go to hospital with minor injuries. When Edward comes to see her, he tries to convince her that she imagined his supernatural speed and strength. She’s not convinced and begins to wonder who and what he is. That night Bella dreams of Edward for the first time.

Twilight summary: True identity
Edward and Bella fight the attraction they feel for each other before finally giving into their feelings and falling deeply in love.

Chapter 4: Invitations
At first Edward ignores Bella. Then he tells her it’s better if they don't become friends. Mike and Tyler both ask Bella to the school dance, much to her embarrassment. She decides to go to Seattle the weekend of the dance so she has an excuse to turn them both down. Edward is bemused by all the attention Bella is getting. When he hears her plans, he asks if he can go to Seattle with her, despite his earlier recommendation that they keep a distance from each other. Bella, of course, says yes.

Chapter 5: Blood Type
Bella’s science class is doing blood typing, which requires all the kids to draw blood. Edward skips class. Bella feels faint and has to go to see the school nurse. Mike is helping her but then Edward turns up and takes over. Bella starts quizzing Edward about his background and tries to guess what he is - but she’s still a long way off.

Chapter 6: Scary Stories
Bella goes on a day trip to a beach in La Push with a few of her friends. Determined to uncover Edward’s true identity, she flirts with a boy called Jacob Black so she can pump him for information. Thrilled by the attention, Jacob tells Bella a legend about werewolves and vampires.
According to the legend, werewolves are the one true enemy of vampires and the Cullens are a family of vampires who, unlike most of their kind, abstain from drinking human blood. That's the only reason why the werewolves of La Push have allowed them to live in Forks. Jacob thinks the legend is nonsense but Bella isn't so sure.

Twilight summary: Vampire revelations
The next part of the Twilight summary deals with Bella's exploration of Edward's dark side.

Chapter 7: Nightmare
Bella has a nightmare about Edward. She gives into her suspicion that he is a vampire and looks up vampires on the Internet. She’s eager to talk to him but he’s not in school the next day. She makes plans to go to Port Angeles with two of her friends to help them look for dresses to wear at the school dance.

Chapter 8: Port Angeles
In Port Angeles, Bella goes shopping with her friends and then decides to go for a walk. A group of men chase her and are about to attack her when Edward pulls around the corner in his volvo and drives her away. The two of them go for dinner together. Edward confirms to Bella that he is a vampire and reveals that he can hear people’s thoughts.

Chapter 9: Theory
Bella and Edward continue their conversation, with Bella asking more questions about Edward’s vampire state. She tells him it doesn’t matter to her if he’s a vampire and finally admits to herself that she is in love with him.

Twilight summary: Inseparable
Not everyone is happy about the relationship between Edward and Bella.

Chapter 10: Interrogations
Edward tries to convince Bella how much he cares about her. He finds it frustrating not to be able to hear her thoughts and thinks she’s taking the whole vampire thing way too calmly. He suggests a mystery trip in place of the planned visit to Seattle so he can show her what happens when he goes in the sun.

Chapter 11: Complications
This time it’s Edward’s turn to ask Bella question after question, though she can’t understand how he can find her human life interesting. Bella’s classmates seem awestruck by their relationship as the two of them become inseparable. Jacob and his dad, Billy, arrive at Bella’s house. Billy seems shocked to see her with Edward, which leads her to conclude that he believes the legend Jacob told her and knows what Edward really is.

Chapter 12: Balancing
Jacob confirms to Bella that Billy believes Edward is a vampire. Edward tells Bella that his family is having trouble accepting their relationship because she's not one of them. He is still not sure if he can be alone with her without hurting her. He's afraid of being overwhelmed by his desire for her blood. But she’s determined to take the risk. Edward skives off school to go hunting with his sister, Alice, then turns up the next day to take Bella on a hiking trip.

Part 2 of the Twilight summary: CLICK HERE to continue reading a chapter-by-chapter summary of the Twilight book (Chapter 13 - Epilogue)

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