Years ago, Stephenie Meyer's unfinished draft of Midnight Sun (Twilight from Edward's perspective) was leaked online. This unfortunate breach of privacy led to a very long delay in both the completion of the book and its release. But when Meyer announced that the long-awaited book would be released in August 2020, fans who had grown up with the series were very excited.
The book didn't disappoint, giving readers the chance to finally get inside the head of Edward, as well as other characters whose thoughts he could read. Some of these revelations changed the way events and characters look in the Twilight saga.
Edward Can't Hear Charlie's Thoughts
After Edward saves Bella from being crushed by Tyler's van, Charlie rushes to the scene. Edward has a renewed interest in the Forks police chief, as he's become increasingly invested in Bella's life. Edward realizes that though he can get the gist of what Charlie is feeling, he cannot hear Charlie's conscious thoughts the same way he can everyone else's.
He's also occasionally able to get visual glimpses of what Charlie is thinking, but never hears a fully-formed thought. This revelation doesn't affect the story overall too much, but it does provide an explanation as to why Bella's mind is so silent.
Jasper And Rosalie Wanted To Kill Bella
Bella obviously knows something is off about Edward when she sees him lift a van. This makes Jasper afraid of what will happen if she confides in others about her suspicions, as he's worried about his family's exposure. Rosalie is worried about this as well, but also resents Edward's attraction to Bella, as he was never attracted to her when they first met.
Both are determined to kill Bella after Edward saves her, but Rosalie is easier to dissuade from this violent path than Jasper, who refuses to back down from his course of action until Alice shares with him that she and Bella will one day have a very close relationship. Jasper agrees not to harm Bella out of his love for Alice, which is coincidentally lucky for him as he later grows to appreciate the addition to his family.
Bella's Character
In Twilight, everyone learns from Bella's first-person POV that she's a humble person. Reading about her from Edward's perspective gives new insight to her character. As Edward observes her, he notices her extreme kindness and generosity towards those in need.
She helps students in her classes that are failing, and steps in when she sees kids being teased. These insights make readers fall in love with Bella the way that Twilight made them fall for Edward.
Carlisle Turned In A Criminal
Edward is able to save Bella from the men stalking her in Port Angeles thanks to his mind-reading ability. He spends the evening with Bella before dropping her off at home. He cannot get the man out of his head, and worries about the danger he could pose to other young women. He speaks to Carlisle about his dilemma, who agrees that something should be done.
The two drive back to Port Angeles that same night, where Edward points out the man with the darkest thoughts. Carlisle takes the man, unconscious, to a police station, where he leaves an anonymous tip. It turns out that this man was wanted for many murders, something Edward saw when he read the man's mind.
How Alice's Visions Work
Since Edward can read minds, Midnight Sun gives fans the closest thing to a first-person account of how Alice's visions work that readers have ever gotten. Readers learn that Alice cannot see the future unless actions are at least being considered, and that she can see the most likely course of action most strongly. For example, before Edward and Bella go to the meadow, she sees a large "knot" with various futures leading out of it, all depending on Edward's self-control.
One way or another, she sees that the path Edward and Bella are on will lead to him having to face his greatest temptation. Only when he overcomes this can he get to the more positive futures Alice sees for him leading out of the knot. As Edward's resolve strengthens, Alice's visions change, with the ones that have Bella living through the ordeal becoming clearer and more numerous.
Edward Knew How Leaving Would Affect Bella
When he's still unsure of his ability to resist Bella's blood, Edward has a conversation with Alice about the future. She saw that Edward killing Bella was still a possible future, and this causes Edward to think of any possible way he might circumvent this future. One of these options was to leave Forks. Once he had considered this path, Alice saw how it would affect Bella.
Both she and Edward saw visual proof of Bella's pain at Edward's still-hypothetical absence. Edward was unwilling to put her through this kind of pain until she was attacked by another vampire, which led him to reconsider what would actually be the worst thing for her to go through (leading to the decision that set off the events of New Moon).
What Jasper Did In The Clearing
When the nomadic vampires show up during the baseball game in the clearing, Jasper uses his gift of mood control to make himself, Alice, and Bella seem so boring that they are initially able to escape the vampires' notice. He does this so that the situation will not immediately escalate, and so that the vampires won't notice the human standing in their midst.
It works at first, until an unlucky breeze blows Bella's scent directly into James' path. This small bit of information from Midnight Sun gives readers insight as to just how powerful and useful Jasper's skill is. Since both the books and the movies are meant to be told from Bella's perspective, this is something readers only get in Edward's version of the story.
Why They Split Up
Many fans have wondered why the Cullens, a family of seven vampires, would feel the need to split up and run in order to protect Bella from James and Victoria. In Midnight Sun, Edward considers having his family stand guard near Bella 24/7 so that either they can catch James, or he will give up.
However, Alice was able to see what would happen when Edward considered this. She saw that if they stayed and stood guard, James would begin to attack and kill people in Forks to weaken their resolve.
Renée's Thoughts
While Bella is still sedated and hospitalized in the aftermath of being attacked by James, Renée arrives. Edward immediately notices how incredibly loud her thoughts are, as it she's mentally shouting.
He finds that others who cannot read her thoughts like he can are still affected by her mental volume, as it makes them feel strangely compelled to help her. This gives a better reason for why no characters seem to be willing to call out Renée on her awful parenting.
When Edward Decided To Leave
After James attacks Bella, Edward feels responsible for what happened. He feels that Bella's life will continue to be put in danger as long as he's with her. He decides that he will wait until her injuries have fully healed, and then he will leave her.
This revelation makes the interactions at the end of Twilight sadder, as readers now know that Edward was trying to find in himself the strength to leave Bella while she was happily enjoying being with him.