Twilight: New Moon tells the story of a teenage narcissist whose schizophrenic tendencies kick in when she moves to the perpetually overcast Forks, Washington. Bella becomes infatuated with Edward, a sickly student who suffers from multiple afflictions, including a sexually transmittable blood disease, insomnia, and Xeroderma pigmentosa (XP), which makes his skin extremely sensitive to sunlight. Due to these disorders, Edward jokingly refers to himself as a Vampire. Bella’s schizophrenic mind latches onto this idea, creating a fantasy world in which she is a princess in a Gothic fairytale.
In addition to his sexually transmittable blood disease, Edward also suffers from premature ejaculation, as he's not used to sexual attention.
This article appears in Dec 9-15, 2009.