'Let the Right One In' by John Ajvide Lindqvist is a dark and haunting novel that revolves around the relationship between Oskar, a lonely and bullied boy, and Eli, a peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire. The story delves into themes of love, friendship, rejection, and the struggles of growing up, all set against a backdrop of horror and supernatural elements. Lindqvist's writing style is described as funny, disturbing, romantic, bloody, and terrifying, capturing the reader's attention with its unique take on the vampire genre and its exploration of complex characters dealing with cruelty and darkness.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include graphic violence, bullying, isolation, murder, and themes of pedophilia.
From The Publisher:
**The international bestseller and the book behind the film and play Let Me In**
'The new Stephen King' The Times
Oskar and Eli. In very different ways, they were both victims. Which is why, against the odds, they became friends. And how they came to depend on one another, for life itself.
Oskar is a 12-year-old boy living with his mother on a dreary housing estate at the city's edge. He dreams about his absentee father, gets bullied at school, and wets himself when he's frightened.
Eli is the young girl who moves in next door. She doesn't go to school and never leaves the flat by day. She is a 200-year-old vampire, forever frozen in childhood, and condemned to live on a diet of fresh blood.
John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel is a unique and brilliant fusion of social novel and vampire legend, a deeply moving fable about rejection, friendship and loyalty.
Ratings (45)
Incredible (10) | |
Loved It (21) | |
Liked It (9) | |
It Was OK (4) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (109):
Read It (47) | |
Want To Read (46) | |
Did Not Finish (2) | |
Not Interested (14) |
2 comment(s)
I read this book first in 2019 and 2020 but didn't like it much. I just remeber reading it once and not getting on with the multiple POVs and storytelling.
But this time around I enjoyed it more, dark and gloomy and it was interesting following doffrent characters. It's not a new favorite but I'm glad I reread it and that I have now changed my opinion of the book.
Scary, moving, disturbing, and at times funny,
Let the Right One In is a vampire novel that is really about relationships. Negotiating them, navigating them, choosing them, leaving them. Just about in the middle of the narrative, one character reflects that you shouldn't let anyone in, because once someone is in your life, he can hurt you. The balance of power in relationships underscores the horror and suspense, making this not just a good genre novel, but a great (straight up) novel.
I also appreciate Lindqvist's take on vampires and sexuality; instead of the relatively safe "beautiful and haunting adult creature seduces adult human," we have a much riskier and far more disturbing tale of warped and/or burgeoning sexualities.
What can you read after
Let the Right One In?
About the Author:
John Ajvide Lindqvist's debut novel, Let the Right One In, was an instant bestseller in Sweden and was named Best Novel in Translation 2005 in Norway. The Swedish film adaptation, directed by Tomas Alfredsson, has won top honors at film festivals all over the globe, including Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. An American remake, Let Me In, written and directed by Cloverfield director Matt Reeves, was released in October 2010 to rave reviews.
Lindqvist grew up in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm and the setting for Let the Right One In. Wanting to become something awful and fantastic, he first became a conjurer, and then was a stand-up comedian for twelve years. He has also written for Swedish television. He lives in Sweden.
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