The Host

Despite the fact it has been a while since I posted, I have still been reading. Not a lot else to do when the majority of my time over the last few weeks has been spent traveling by my lonesome.

By now, everyone is well aware of my, um, slight preoccupation with Twilight (or maybe it's just Edward. I'm not going to expose myself by delving into that analysis. Although I did tell my husband that he was not "allowed" to read them because I was not feeling up to sharing my fantasy world.) But this is completely off track.

I have said before that I don't think Stephanie Meyer is a strong writer. But her ability to create characters and emotions that suck readers into her stories is uncanny.

I just finished reading The Host, which is Meyer's first book for adults.


First, technicalities. The writing, while still not superb, is much better than the Twilight books.

But it almost doesn't matter. The book is FANTASTIC. I was surprised by how much I loved the book. It was almost harder to put down than Twilight.

Once again, without giving anything away, the basic plot:

The world has been taken over by an alien invasion. These aliens take over the human mind, removing their awareness and identity. But when one girl, part of the human resistance, is captured, she refuses to go down without a fight. Melanie forces her memories and emotions on the alien living inside her body.

That is all I think I can fairly tell you. There is more on the book jacket, but I just can't bring myself to give that much away.

This book, with all its aliens, and invasions, and spaceships, and blah, blah, blah, is surprisingly not about any of that.

It is about what it means to be human. The emotions and connections that make us who we are, not just as people, but as individuals. It examines what it means to be human, in the ugly ways and in the beautiful ways. And what it is to be us, as an individual.

The people in the book are not perfect. They are selfish, hurtful, greedy, easily offended. But the amazing thing about them is that they are people. They also are selfless, forgiving, patient, and loving.

The theme of this book is about what it means to love someone. That all people, seen through the eyes of the person that loves them more than anything, are amazing, beautiful, and precious. We are defined both by who we love and who loves us.

This is a beautiful book. Read it. Then tell me about it.