Elena Gilbert is at the heart and soul of by New York Times best-selling author . The novels follow her romances and dramas with the Salvatore brothers, Damon and Stefan. Both are vampires who were turned centuries earlier and find their way to Elena's hometown of Fells Church, VA.
Elena meets and falls for Stefan, who is kindhearted and striving to live a moral life as best he can, given that he must drink blood to stay alive. But it's not long before Damon, the sexy older brother with a dark edge and no interest in being good, arrives in town, wreaking havoc and even pulling at Elena's heartstrings. At first, Elena is unaware of a startling fact and significant force in all the complicated attraction ahead: She is doppelgänger of the vampire who turned the Salvatore brothers nearly 500 years earlier—Katherine von Swartzchild. As the series unfolds, Elena finds herself being pulled between the two brothers as she struggles to find her place in the human and supernatural worlds.
*Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Vampire Diaries series.*
How is Elena Gilbert described in the books?
Many listeners might be familiar with The Vampire Diaries through the CW TV show adaptation rather than the novels, which were originally published from 1991 to 1992. But the Elena of the book series is a bit different than portrayed on the screen. She's introduced as blond, very beautiful, popular at school, and somewhat vain about her appearance and her status in the community. She can have a bit of a mean streak at times, and she knows that she can get almost anything she wants. She's still grieving the death of her parents, who died in a car accident, but she finds support and love in her Aunt Judith, who took her in, and her best friends, Bonnie McCullough and Meredith Sulez. She's also friends with Matt, her ex-boyfriend and childhood friend who loves her and supports her, even when he struggles with his jealousy over Elena's love interests.
What happens to Elena in the books?
Elena is the protagonist of the first book in the series, . Elena meets Stefan and, despite his aloof manner towards her, is completely drawn to him. Although Stefan tries to stay away from Elena, they end up dating, and all seems to go well—until Damon shows up in town. As more mysterious attacks on innocent people are reported, Stefan explains to Elena that he is a vampire, confiding his fear that he's perhaps responsible for losing control. But Elena isn't fazed by this revelation, and together they work to uncover the truth.
In , Elena and Stefan confront Damon about the attacks, particularly when one results in the death of their history teacher. With Damon maintaining his innocence and Stefan being accused by the town, they decide to work together to determine who is responsible. Meanwhile, a new teacher named Alaric Saltzman shows up in town, raising Damon's suspicions. As they look into what the town actually knows about vampires, Elena finds herself targeted by evil—ultimately, she's run off a bridge and drowns. But she's brought back from death as a vampire.
