Let the Right One in

Twelve-year-old boy, Oskar is having a hard time with life. While he has a loving mother, his alcoholic father is very absent in his life. At school, Oskar is the constantly being bullied. One day he meets Eli, and a friendship is formed between the two. However Eli is not a normal girl and it is quickly revealed that she is in fact a vampire. Let the Right One In by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist is a horror novel unlike any other that I have read before.

While Let the Right One In is a gothic horror that explores the unusual relationship between a 12-year-old boy and a vampire, for me this novel was something completely different. I found this to be a book that explores the darker side of humanity; looking at issue of alcoholism, divorce, bullying, abuse, self-mutilation, murder and paedophilia. Think of it more of an existential look at life and the horrors of the world around us.

I do not want to go into too much detail about what to expect when reading this novel. I just enjoyed the way it looked at the way we handle the horrors of the world from the view point of a struggling boy trying to cope with his situation. The relationship between Oskar and Eli is complicated, and unusual. This allows John Ajvide Lindqvist to explore so many interesting issues and push the reader to contemplate more of the world around them.

Most people would be familiar with the plot of this novel by the movie adaptation done in 2008, which was then horribly remade again by Hollywood in 2010 under the name Let Me In. I saw the Swedish version many years ago and felt it to be a brilliant movie but I have not re-watched it since reading the novel. I did however watch the American addition and it made me very angry. I feel like Hollywood is too afraid to deal with the dark side of humanity if it involves a twelve year old boy. Also America has a terrible habit of trying to remake movies that are already brilliant, I understand some people do not want to read subtitles but they do it to movies that are already in English as well. Soon there will also be a TV show based on this novel, which is set to air on A&E later this year.

I am so glad to have read Let the Right One In; I had a great time exploring the world. This is an extremely dark novel and this will not be everyone. I am curious to see what the TV show will be like but I will not be holding my breath. If you are willing to explore the dark side of humanity you will find Let the Right One In to be a compelling and thought provoking novel.

This review originally appeared on my blog; www.knowledgelost.org/literature/book-reviews/genre/horror/let-the-right-one-in-by-john-ajvide-lindqvist

Saw previews for the movie remake and decided to pick the book up before I saw either the original or the remake (classic story, yes?).

Unfortunately, this book suffered a bit due to picking it up and putting it down with long breaks in between. The good parts were really good, but the slow parts didn't really hold my interest long. The side stories for the other students, Virginia, Tommy, etc. didn't really pick up until the last 3rd of the book, so I had forgotten most of the set up.

And I had completely forgotten Oskar's dealings with his bullies and other students by the final climax, which probably lessened the impact more than it was meant.

That out of the way, it was a good book, the last 3rd in particular once Oskar finds out about Eli's big secret. Virginia & Lacke's story was particularly endearing. It did a wonderful job with conveying imagery (horrific violence and sweet moments alike) and the relationships between the characters (good or otherwise).

Overall - worth the read, liked it well enough. :)

I was really impressed by this book. It's a dark and disturbing tale that is beautifully written. The characters are complex, and the novel manages to capture the essence of human loneliness more effectively than any other book I've read in the last few years. Lindqvist grants none of his characters an easy path, and takes the time to depict each of their hopes and pains. He does not flinch at showing their evils, whether it's careless alcoholism, the savage cruelty of children, or the darkness of Eli, as well as Eli's servant.

Even Oskar, the innocent young protagonist, abused by his cruel classmates, is withdrawn from the world, and has turned dark from the years of bullying. Over that time he has nursed a hatred so pure and violent in intent that it could only come from a child. He practices stabbing trees with his knife and daydreams about killing his young tormentors. Good does come into his life though, in the form of a new friend. Eli a pale, waif of a girl moves into his complex and slowly begins to befriend him, but Eli only comes out at night, and has been 12 years old for a long time.

I'm hesitant to even mention the word vampire here, because of all the literary baggage it comes with, especially in a post Anne Rice, post Laurell K. Hamilton world, where Twilight and True Blood are what people immediately think of when the v-word comes into the conversation. So let me make something clear, this is not a vampire novel, or at least it is not just that. It's a deeply moving story of human loneliness and the darkness that grows from the desperation of any outcast, and therefore a very human story, although many may find the humanity depicted in this novel disturbing.

I actually discovered it by way of the film, which incidentally, is probably the best vampire movie ever made. The book has significantly more scope than the film, as even the minor characters encountered in the movie take on a complete life of their own in the novel. However, there are times when I felt like narrative with particular characters was written primarily in an effort for completeness rather than serving the story. For example, this is a decent amount of time spent learning about Tommy and his family, when he really has very little impact on the story. It's well-written, and great character stuff, but seems like an unnecessary detour from the core of the tale. In fact, that's the only reason I don't give this book 5 stars. The extra stuff is good, but unnecessary, so the story could be tighter, but regardless its an excellent read.