Status
Available
Call number
Library's review
Sverige, Stockholm, Blackeberg, 21. oktober til 13. november 1981
En mand Håkan Bengtsson, tidligere gymnasielærer, 45 år, og en tilsyneladende lille pige Eli kommer til byen. I den lokale skole bliver Oskar Eriksson, 12 år, pint af de jævnaldrende skolekammerater, Jonny Forsberg og Micke.
Oskar og Eli mødes. Eli er underlig. Hun er spinklere end Oskar, men stærkere og kan fx løses Rubiks terning, første gang hun får den i hånden.
Håkan tapper blod til hende, men vil ikke mere. Så går hun selv i byen og suger livet ud af en bodegagæst, Jocke. Håkan skjuler liget i søen tæt der ved.
Oskar bor sammen med sin mor. Faderen er dranker og derfor bor han ikke hos dem mere. Eli og Håkan bor i en lejlighed ved siden af Oskar. Håkan elsker Eli men er også bange for hende og for hvad hun gør.
Oskar bliver pint og plaget i skolegården. Da Eli opdager det. bliver hun pludselig meget ældre og hårdere i det og råder ham til at slå igen. Hårdt. Hvis de har sten, så skal han have en kniv.
Håkan er ked af det, fordi Eli selv tager sig af at skaffe blod, så han tager i svømmehallen og finder en dreng at overfalde. Han bliver opdaget og hælder så syre over sit ansigt. Han overlever.
Eli tapper blodet fra en gammel dame, der har cancer og får morfin. Damen brænder bogstaveligt op og Eli dukker op ved Oskar.
Tommy's mor kommer sammen med en politibetjent Staffan. Tommy er ikke så vild med ideen.
Jonny og Micke forsøger at dyppe Oskar i en våge i isen, men Oskar husker Eli's råd og forsvarer sig med en kæp. Han rammer Jonny lige på øret. Imens løber nogle børn på skøjter tæt ved og finder Jocke's hoved.
Eli og Oskar bliver tættere knyttet sammen, alt imens Håkan ligger på hospitalet, hvor man forsøger at reparere på syreskaderne.
Eli overfalder Virginia, en af bodegagæsterne, Lacke, er glad for hende og holder øje, så hun slipper med fjorten sting, men hun er jo altså blevet bidt af en vampyr. Eli besøger Håkan på hospitalet og han får hende til at bide sig, hvorefter han kaster sig ud af vinduet.
I lighuset begynder Håkans lig at bløde og en stakkels vagt Bengt Edwards får sig en sidste forskrækkelse.
Virginia gennemgår forvandlingen til vampyr og går på jagt efter en af de andre bodegagæster, Gösta.
Imens har politiet fundet ud af hvem manden på hospitalet var, Håkan Bengtson. Og Oskar finder ud af at Eli/Elias nærmest er intetkøn.
Virginia bliver indlagt på hospital og Eli køber en liter blod af Tommy for tre tusind kroner.
Håkan finder Eli og forsøger at voldtage ham/hende. Hun forsvarer sig, men det er svært at slå Håkan ihjel, så hun ender med bare at flygte. Tommy forsøger igen og igen og igen at slå Håkan ihjel. Staffan kommer til og det er ikke noget kønt syn.
Virginia lader sig med vilje fange i sollys og dør. Lacke vil hævne sig på vampyren og finder da også Eli, som ligger og sover i et badekar fyldt med blod. Oskar kommer til og Eli får i stedet ram på Lacke.
Oskar sætter ild til Jonny's og Tomas' skolepulte, hvilket får det halve klasseværelse til at blive brændt af. Han stikker af, men næste dag tager han alligevel afsted i skole og går i svømmehallen. Micke afleder læreren, Ávila, som Preppe slår ned med en rulle mønter og Jonny og Jimmy tager sig af Oskar, efter at have gennet alle andre ud af bassinet. Oskar skal dykke ned og være under vandet i 5 minutter, hvis han vil slippe med et snit i kinden eller noget i den dur. Ellers koster det et øje.
Micke bliver bange og da der dukker en lille pige op udenfor døren, der beder ham om at sige "Kom ind", gør han det.
Jonny og Jimmy Forsberg dør en voldelig død og Oskar er forsvundet. "Hentet af en engel" siger vidnerne.
Glimrende fornyelse af vampyrgenren
En mand Håkan Bengtsson, tidligere gymnasielærer, 45 år, og en tilsyneladende lille pige Eli kommer til byen. I den lokale skole bliver Oskar Eriksson, 12 år, pint af de jævnaldrende skolekammerater, Jonny Forsberg og Micke.
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Oskar bliver kaldt Grisen, fordi han kan skrige som en gris, når han bliver pint og plaget. Han rapser slik i det lokale supermarked, har en god bekendt Tommy på 16 år, og samler på tegneserier. Håkan tager en tur til nabobyen Vällingby og slår en 14års dreng ihjel og tapper blodet af ham. Tommy og kammeraten Robban går i 1.g. Sammen med Lasse på nitten, der er lidt tilbage, laver de indbrud. De følger med i politiets efterforskning af mordet.Oskar og Eli mødes. Eli er underlig. Hun er spinklere end Oskar, men stærkere og kan fx løses Rubiks terning, første gang hun får den i hånden.
Håkan tapper blod til hende, men vil ikke mere. Så går hun selv i byen og suger livet ud af en bodegagæst, Jocke. Håkan skjuler liget i søen tæt der ved.
Oskar bor sammen med sin mor. Faderen er dranker og derfor bor han ikke hos dem mere. Eli og Håkan bor i en lejlighed ved siden af Oskar. Håkan elsker Eli men er også bange for hende og for hvad hun gør.
Oskar bliver pint og plaget i skolegården. Da Eli opdager det. bliver hun pludselig meget ældre og hårdere i det og råder ham til at slå igen. Hårdt. Hvis de har sten, så skal han have en kniv.
Håkan er ked af det, fordi Eli selv tager sig af at skaffe blod, så han tager i svømmehallen og finder en dreng at overfalde. Han bliver opdaget og hælder så syre over sit ansigt. Han overlever.
Eli tapper blodet fra en gammel dame, der har cancer og får morfin. Damen brænder bogstaveligt op og Eli dukker op ved Oskar.
Tommy's mor kommer sammen med en politibetjent Staffan. Tommy er ikke så vild med ideen.
Jonny og Micke forsøger at dyppe Oskar i en våge i isen, men Oskar husker Eli's råd og forsvarer sig med en kæp. Han rammer Jonny lige på øret. Imens løber nogle børn på skøjter tæt ved og finder Jocke's hoved.
Eli og Oskar bliver tættere knyttet sammen, alt imens Håkan ligger på hospitalet, hvor man forsøger at reparere på syreskaderne.
Eli overfalder Virginia, en af bodegagæsterne, Lacke, er glad for hende og holder øje, så hun slipper med fjorten sting, men hun er jo altså blevet bidt af en vampyr. Eli besøger Håkan på hospitalet og han får hende til at bide sig, hvorefter han kaster sig ud af vinduet.
I lighuset begynder Håkans lig at bløde og en stakkels vagt Bengt Edwards får sig en sidste forskrækkelse.
Virginia gennemgår forvandlingen til vampyr og går på jagt efter en af de andre bodegagæster, Gösta.
Imens har politiet fundet ud af hvem manden på hospitalet var, Håkan Bengtson. Og Oskar finder ud af at Eli/Elias nærmest er intetkøn.
Virginia bliver indlagt på hospital og Eli køber en liter blod af Tommy for tre tusind kroner.
Håkan finder Eli og forsøger at voldtage ham/hende. Hun forsvarer sig, men det er svært at slå Håkan ihjel, så hun ender med bare at flygte. Tommy forsøger igen og igen og igen at slå Håkan ihjel. Staffan kommer til og det er ikke noget kønt syn.
Virginia lader sig med vilje fange i sollys og dør. Lacke vil hævne sig på vampyren og finder da også Eli, som ligger og sover i et badekar fyldt med blod. Oskar kommer til og Eli får i stedet ram på Lacke.
Oskar sætter ild til Jonny's og Tomas' skolepulte, hvilket får det halve klasseværelse til at blive brændt af. Han stikker af, men næste dag tager han alligevel afsted i skole og går i svømmehallen. Micke afleder læreren, Ávila, som Preppe slår ned med en rulle mønter og Jonny og Jimmy tager sig af Oskar, efter at have gennet alle andre ud af bassinet. Oskar skal dykke ned og være under vandet i 5 minutter, hvis han vil slippe med et snit i kinden eller noget i den dur. Ellers koster det et øje.
Micke bliver bange og da der dukker en lille pige op udenfor døren, der beder ham om at sige "Kom ind", gør han det.
Jonny og Jimmy Forsberg dør en voldelig død og Oskar er forsvundet. "Hentet af en engel" siger vidnerne.
Glimrende fornyelse af vampyrgenren
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Publication
Kbh. : Forum, 2007.
Description
Twelve-year-old Oskar is obsessed by the murder that's taken place in his neighborhood. Then he meets the new girl from next door. She's a bit weird, though. And she only comes out at night--Publisher's description.
User reviews
LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
Let the Right One In is the love child of Dracula & Lord of the Flies with the movie, My Bodyguard, as midwife. This is easily one of the best novels I've read all year & is probably in my top 20 list, although it's been awhile since I composed that.
I have a lot of issues with the latest string of
Lastly, let me be clear: vampires are predators. They might also be nice to the occasional human, but at the end of the day we're food; expecting a close personal bond with every doe-eyed teenage girl who crosses the path of said immortal while humming vacantly to the latest Lady GaGa hit just seems completely unreasonable to me. Cats are predators, too, & yes, they play with the mice & the birds before killing them, but they eventually kill them. & eat them. Every. Single. Time.
This is not a book filled with pretty, languishing vampires. This is a book with one vampire who happens to also be a 12-year-old girl named Eli. Her human servant (for lack of a better term) is a pedophile. The fact that she also befriends another 12-year-old, Oskar, doesn't prevent her from killing & eating other people that cross her path & it shouldn't. For Eli the equation is simple: blood = life.
What isn't simple is the relationship that develops between Eli & Oskar. Even more complex are all of the relationships & half-relationships that litter this novel & people the soulless planned community where the action takes place. This is a book with shifting narratives & moving points of view & many subplots & yet every moment, every character, every happening is utterly essential to the fabric of the story.
Is this a horror novel? I guess so. More importantly this is a novel about love, about life, about what we give up when we have to & what we keep when we can. It is about the horror we all commit - in schoolyards & marriages & subways & behind closed doors, in alleys, in bars, in restaurants & hospitals & churches. We are all searching for some kind of connection, for some reason for continuing. Whether or not we are or are not vampires seems truly immaterial in the face of all of the rest of it.
Read this book. It's heartbreaking, & sad, & compelling, & beautiful. It's all the things a good story should be.
I have a lot of issues with the latest string of
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vampire romances. Unless the vampire is Blade, she or he shouldn't be wandering around in the daylight without consequences. Even more problematic for me is the notion that anyone, immortal or otherwise, would voluntarily return to high school. Please.Lastly, let me be clear: vampires are predators. They might also be nice to the occasional human, but at the end of the day we're food; expecting a close personal bond with every doe-eyed teenage girl who crosses the path of said immortal while humming vacantly to the latest Lady GaGa hit just seems completely unreasonable to me. Cats are predators, too, & yes, they play with the mice & the birds before killing them, but they eventually kill them. & eat them. Every. Single. Time.
This is not a book filled with pretty, languishing vampires. This is a book with one vampire who happens to also be a 12-year-old girl named Eli. Her human servant (for lack of a better term) is a pedophile. The fact that she also befriends another 12-year-old, Oskar, doesn't prevent her from killing & eating other people that cross her path & it shouldn't. For Eli the equation is simple: blood = life.
What isn't simple is the relationship that develops between Eli & Oskar. Even more complex are all of the relationships & half-relationships that litter this novel & people the soulless planned community where the action takes place. This is a book with shifting narratives & moving points of view & many subplots & yet every moment, every character, every happening is utterly essential to the fabric of the story.
Is this a horror novel? I guess so. More importantly this is a novel about love, about life, about what we give up when we have to & what we keep when we can. It is about the horror we all commit - in schoolyards & marriages & subways & behind closed doors, in alleys, in bars, in restaurants & hospitals & churches. We are all searching for some kind of connection, for some reason for continuing. Whether or not we are or are not vampires seems truly immaterial in the face of all of the rest of it.
Read this book. It's heartbreaking, & sad, & compelling, & beautiful. It's all the things a good story should be.
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LibraryThing member womansheart
Book #72 - New York Times Bestseller, [Let the Right One In] was written by [[John Ajvide Lindqvist]] and is translated from the Swedish by Ebba Segerberg.
Fellow Swedish author, Stieg Larsson, may be better known around the world at this time, than the man who wrote this atmospheric vampire novel
With Halloween around the corner, so to speak, I wanted something to read that would get me in the mood. [Let the Right One In ] sure did the trick, without lots of blood and gore, it centered more on the relationships of two of the primary characters and their experiences. Certainly not a book to amuse or even really written to entertain, I felt it was a book that showed quite a bit of painful emotion in people's lives and the grief and loss in the *life* of the seemingly young vampire.
This novel is much more a narrative piece than a straightforward story or classically plotted novel. It does have a resolution and the action that occurs is linked to the characters and the circumstances they find themselves in. There is a dark side to each of us, could be the thread that runs through the novel.
I would recommend this book if you are looking for something different than what you might ordinarily expect in a vampire novel and also to observe and experience the culture of Sweden through these characters. Four Stars.
Fellow Swedish author, Stieg Larsson, may be better known around the world at this time, than the man who wrote this atmospheric vampire novel
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with some twists. However, Lindqvist did a fine job with this book and the Swedish film that was made from it and released in 2008 won many, many film awards. With Halloween around the corner, so to speak, I wanted something to read that would get me in the mood. [Let the Right One In ] sure did the trick, without lots of blood and gore, it centered more on the relationships of two of the primary characters and their experiences. Certainly not a book to amuse or even really written to entertain, I felt it was a book that showed quite a bit of painful emotion in people's lives and the grief and loss in the *life* of the seemingly young vampire.
This novel is much more a narrative piece than a straightforward story or classically plotted novel. It does have a resolution and the action that occurs is linked to the characters and the circumstances they find themselves in. There is a dark side to each of us, could be the thread that runs through the novel.
I would recommend this book if you are looking for something different than what you might ordinarily expect in a vampire novel and also to observe and experience the culture of Sweden through these characters. Four Stars.
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LibraryThing member nakedsushi
I started reading Let the Right One In because I was curious about the parts of the story that were left out of the movie. There were issues which were only hinted at in the movie and I wondered if they were more spelled out in the book. They were.
It’s difficult to describe this book. It’s easy
In the beginning, the book is hard to follow. Sections jump from one character to another and there isn’t always one consistent, omniscient narrator. As I read more and more of the story and the characters started to develop, it was easier to follow the jump from one character to another. Think of it as looking into a cross-section of a dollhouse; each room has something going on in it distinct from the next room, but they all tie in together in one house. That’s how each character’s story interacts with the others.
One of the quotations in the back of the book has someone calling Let the Right One In a horror story. It might be because I watched the movie first and knew the general plot, but I didn’t read it as a horror story at all. Yes, there is violence, and yes, there were parts that were uncomfortable to read, but I wasn’t ever terrified while I was reading it.
I can see people not liking this book. There are subjects people would rather not think or read about, and the characters all have some negative aspects or depravities to them. It’s hard to relate to any of them but at the same time, I wonder if it’s because we’re scared to relate to any of them.
I don’t really want to spoil the book or the movie for anyone reading this. Let the Right One In was one of my favorite movies this year and the book is also one of my favorites, but I can see it not being for everyone. If you’re in the mood for a different type of vampire book, it’s a good choice. I described the movie as a “coming of age vampire story,” but for some reason, that doesn’t really fit the book. Usually I’m disappointed by movie adaptations of books, but after reading the book, the movie actually followed the story very well, or at least as best it could. The main thing is that the movie had the same mood the book did, if that makes sense.
It’s difficult to describe this book. It’s easy
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to say it’s a vampire book, but the vampire mythos is only part of the story. Isolation and helplessness are main the themes in the story; the author uses the vampire as a way to show a different form of isolation.In the beginning, the book is hard to follow. Sections jump from one character to another and there isn’t always one consistent, omniscient narrator. As I read more and more of the story and the characters started to develop, it was easier to follow the jump from one character to another. Think of it as looking into a cross-section of a dollhouse; each room has something going on in it distinct from the next room, but they all tie in together in one house. That’s how each character’s story interacts with the others.
One of the quotations in the back of the book has someone calling Let the Right One In a horror story. It might be because I watched the movie first and knew the general plot, but I didn’t read it as a horror story at all. Yes, there is violence, and yes, there were parts that were uncomfortable to read, but I wasn’t ever terrified while I was reading it.
I can see people not liking this book. There are subjects people would rather not think or read about, and the characters all have some negative aspects or depravities to them. It’s hard to relate to any of them but at the same time, I wonder if it’s because we’re scared to relate to any of them.
I don’t really want to spoil the book or the movie for anyone reading this. Let the Right One In was one of my favorite movies this year and the book is also one of my favorites, but I can see it not being for everyone. If you’re in the mood for a different type of vampire book, it’s a good choice. I described the movie as a “coming of age vampire story,” but for some reason, that doesn’t really fit the book. Usually I’m disappointed by movie adaptations of books, but after reading the book, the movie actually followed the story very well, or at least as best it could. The main thing is that the movie had the same mood the book did, if that makes sense.
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LibraryThing member janeajones
Oskar and Eli are next-apartment neighbors in the faceless Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg. Oskar is a 12 year-old overweight, comic book addict who has become the target of class bullies. He dreams of murderous revenge upon his tormentors. Eli is a 12 year-old vampire (really hundreds of years old,
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but she still remains emotionally 12) who has recently moved into the apartment complex with her "father." During the dark winter nights from October 21, 1981, until Friday, November 13, 1981, Blackeberg is beset by a series of horrific murders. Curiously, however, Let the Right One is less a gothic novel of terror than an examination of adolescents trying to survive dysfunctional, broken families and a group of middle-aged alcoholics just trying to survive. Although the novel has graphic violence, it's not scary -- the violence is oddly matter-of-fact. It's a rather haunting (and easy) read, certainly a bleak picture of Swedish urban life in the late 20th century. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
Don’t you hate it when you come across a book that piques your interest, has great reviews and was even turned into a pretty decent movie, only to be crushed by disappointment? That’s how it went with Let the Right One In. Years ago I watched the Swedish version of the movie and quite liked it.
Instead we’ve got a book that’s far too long, with pages, pages and pages of narrative taken up by people and events unimportant. Over and over we see Oskar beset by bullies and only once, once, does he have the temerity to do anything about it. The severity of the attacks escalates nicely with the final scene quite harrowing indeed, but by then we’re so anxious for the whole thing to be over that it barely matters when Eli swans in on a rope or whatever and saves the day. Despite many, many scenes of violence and horror rendered with careful and precise language, this final episode gets the equivalent of a pastel wash in watercolors. What? NOW you’re leaving things up to our imaginations? Just when we want solid pay off for trudging through your endless descriptions of drunks, paranoia, schoolyard bullies, weekends with dad, glue sniffing, meaningless inner monologues and torture scenes?
OMG what a mess. There are so many needless story threads that don’t really connect up to anything. There’s very little import to Virginia’s awful plight other than describing the transformation from human to vampire, which could have been done with the “mind-meld” Eli does to Oskar. Ditto with what happens to Hakan. I mean, what was that all about? So we could have a nice little pedophile anal rape scene with a zombie and a vampire? I guess that was it. And how about Tommy’s whole “I hate my mom’s boyfriend” schtick? Yawn.
This endless repetition blunted the novel’s strongest feature; the complex relationships and emotional lives of the characters (I just wish there were fewer of them because most of them don’t matter at all). Everyone is an agonized soul. No one is happy, fulfilled or even just doing ok. Nope. Everyone is miserable so that by comparison, Eli seems well-adjusted. Sweden needs antidepressants in the water, never mind fluoride.
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It had a suppressed creepiness that seemed to be passe in this new world of sparkly vampires who run speakeasies. Or whatever. It had a tight storyline of tormented boy meets supernatural girl who avenges him by visiting her blood sucking ways upon his enemies. No doubt the screenwriter read the book, but he or she ought to be credited for basically writing a whole new story out of the hints and possibilities of what Lindqvist managed to come up with. Talk about missing a great opportunity. There was so much potential wasted. Instead we’ve got a book that’s far too long, with pages, pages and pages of narrative taken up by people and events unimportant. Over and over we see Oskar beset by bullies and only once, once, does he have the temerity to do anything about it. The severity of the attacks escalates nicely with the final scene quite harrowing indeed, but by then we’re so anxious for the whole thing to be over that it barely matters when Eli swans in on a rope or whatever and saves the day. Despite many, many scenes of violence and horror rendered with careful and precise language, this final episode gets the equivalent of a pastel wash in watercolors. What? NOW you’re leaving things up to our imaginations? Just when we want solid pay off for trudging through your endless descriptions of drunks, paranoia, schoolyard bullies, weekends with dad, glue sniffing, meaningless inner monologues and torture scenes?
OMG what a mess. There are so many needless story threads that don’t really connect up to anything. There’s very little import to Virginia’s awful plight other than describing the transformation from human to vampire, which could have been done with the “mind-meld” Eli does to Oskar. Ditto with what happens to Hakan. I mean, what was that all about? So we could have a nice little pedophile anal rape scene with a zombie and a vampire? I guess that was it. And how about Tommy’s whole “I hate my mom’s boyfriend” schtick? Yawn.
This endless repetition blunted the novel’s strongest feature; the complex relationships and emotional lives of the characters (I just wish there were fewer of them because most of them don’t matter at all). Everyone is an agonized soul. No one is happy, fulfilled or even just doing ok. Nope. Everyone is miserable so that by comparison, Eli seems well-adjusted. Sweden needs antidepressants in the water, never mind fluoride.
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LibraryThing member TheTwoDs
A novel so breathtakingly haunting yet stunningly beautiful, it's almost impossible to believe this is a debut. Taking just enough of classic vampire lore and imbuing it with a Scandinavian sensibility, Let the Right One In reaches emotional heights not generally associated with the horror genre.
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The closest macabre book I can make an emotional comparison to is Stephen King's Lisey's Story. The relationship between Oskar and Eli is at turns fresh, exuberant and heart-rending. On top of the incredible characterisations and renovations to vampiric mythology, Lindqvist makes remarkably sly observations on homophobia, single parent families, children of divorce and the nature of the relationship between bullies and their targets. You would be hard-pressed to find a more intelligent, yet darkly somber, novel of horror. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
This is the story of Oskar, a twelve-year-old boy who's been bullied so bad that he's started having violent revenge fantasies. Of the strange girl who moves in next to him, who is only ever seen at night, and who won't come into a room until she's invited. And of the man who lives with her, who is
I did see the movie version of this -- the original Swedish film, with subtitles -- and my first thought when I started reading this was, "Wow, I don't remember the movie being quite this dark." Thinking back on it, though, maybe I'm wrong about that. Maybe it was. Maybe the biggest difference is just that in the novel you get a few things, like scenes told from the point of view of a murderous pedophile, that aren't quite the same when translated to film.
You would think, at this point, that every possible take on vampires has not only been done, but been done to death. And yet this story, for reasons I cannot entirely put my finger on, actually does feel pretty fresh. Maybe it's partly the prose, which feels oddly low-key to me, despite the often very gory violence it describes. Probably it's at least partially due to the Scandinavian setting. But I think perhaps it's largely due to the way so much of it is told from a young boy's point of view, and to the disturbing, yet strangely innocent childhood love story that lies at the heart of it.
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very definitely not her father.I did see the movie version of this -- the original Swedish film, with subtitles -- and my first thought when I started reading this was, "Wow, I don't remember the movie being quite this dark." Thinking back on it, though, maybe I'm wrong about that. Maybe it was. Maybe the biggest difference is just that in the novel you get a few things, like scenes told from the point of view of a murderous pedophile, that aren't quite the same when translated to film.
You would think, at this point, that every possible take on vampires has not only been done, but been done to death. And yet this story, for reasons I cannot entirely put my finger on, actually does feel pretty fresh. Maybe it's partly the prose, which feels oddly low-key to me, despite the often very gory violence it describes. Probably it's at least partially due to the Scandinavian setting. But I think perhaps it's largely due to the way so much of it is told from a young boy's point of view, and to the disturbing, yet strangely innocent childhood love story that lies at the heart of it.
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LibraryThing member jjameli
Let the Right One In is about a vampire, but not like the vampire books of late. This one falls more in the realm of Anne Rice's books. It's a frightening tale that grabs you from the beginning, be prepared to stay up late with this one.
The book has quite a few characters that in some way become a
Final words, if your in the mood for a horror book about vampires, this is the book I would recommend you read. On a side note, I was surprised to learn that this book has become a movie. I'm really curious how it transcended to film.
The book has quite a few characters that in some way become a
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part of Eli, the vampire's story. Each set of characters have their own story being told, suprisingly it works well, and doesn't hinder the movement of the plot. The book is long with 472 pages, but it's really good, so it never became a issue with me. There were a couple of times that I stopped reading just to picture the scene that was described, and it was horrifying. If I had to say something negative about Let The Right One In it would be about the character of Eli, the vampire. The writer created such a fantastic, creepy character that I wanted to know everything. I felt that the reader gets very little about Eli, and it's past.Final words, if your in the mood for a horror book about vampires, this is the book I would recommend you read. On a side note, I was surprised to learn that this book has become a movie. I'm really curious how it transcended to film.
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LibraryThing member drneutron
So what's the deal with vampires these days? They used to be predators feeding on humans and trying to keep out of the sunlight and away from the garlic. Nowadays, it's hard to find a scary vampire story.
Fortunately, there's been a bit of recovery lately from the trend to treat vampires as humans
Let The Right One In is a great story on several levels. On the surface, it's a flat-out horror story with bad people doing bad things, violence and gore, the works. It's also about a teenager named Oskar and how he learns to cope with a world that's dealt him a rather bad hand. And it's about the ugliness in urban/suburban life that we so often overlook and how that in it's own way is vampiric.
The writing's great, the plot moves along, there's plenty of action for the horror fan. All-in-all, a pretty good read!
Fortunately, there's been a bit of recovery lately from the trend to treat vampires as humans
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with special abilities. First David Wellington's series re-introduced the vampire as an evil monster that needs to be eliminated, and now Lindquist has written Let The Right One In with vampires that are both predators and believable characters that still remains scary. Let The Right One In is a great story on several levels. On the surface, it's a flat-out horror story with bad people doing bad things, violence and gore, the works. It's also about a teenager named Oskar and how he learns to cope with a world that's dealt him a rather bad hand. And it's about the ugliness in urban/suburban life that we so often overlook and how that in it's own way is vampiric.
The writing's great, the plot moves along, there's plenty of action for the horror fan. All-in-all, a pretty good read!
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LibraryThing member subbobmail
No, I have not seen the movie yet...this book really impressed me -- I haven't turned pages this quickly since Silence of the Lambs. This book is the anti-Twilight. There are teens and vampires here, but they don't sparkle. The gritty setting (a drab Swedish housing project) lends a chill to the
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action, which I will not describe here at all -- you deserve to experience it for yourself. J.A. Lindqvist presents human and vampiric behavior in parallel and lets the reader note similarities...predation comes in many forms (ask any schoolchild). Chilling and thrilling and disturbing in the best possible way. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bibliotropic
I received this book as a Yule gift, which thrilled me to no end since I really enjoyed the Swedish movie that was based on this novel. (I have yet to see the North American remake movie.) I opened the book hoping that, as is often the case with me, the original novel would be just as good as or
I was not disappointed.
The author has an incredible talent for detail, building realistic characters and all their idiosyncracies that are not essential to a novel but add so very much. It isn't often that I see a novel create such complete people; most often, the only parts of a character that are revealed are the ones essential to the plot, or at least to an important scene or two. As it was, I came away feeling that the characters were real, were people and not just skeleton figures dressed up for the purpose of telling a story.
The plot moved along with wonderful pacing, though I confess that I was more interested in what happened to Oskar and Eli than most of the other adults who were touched by an encounter with vampirism. It wasn't that those bits were boring (on the contrary, some of them were quite interesting), but they didn't hold my interest as well as other parts.
I also loved how gritty the setting was without being over the top. No idyllic little town, but it wasn't filled with wife-beaters and drunkards in every house. Families were broken, people's lives were strained, but they lived as well as they could and took their pleasures in what came their way, the way that the majority of people do. Life was neither great nor crappy. It just was. I like seeing that.
If anything baffled me about this novel, it was the reviews on the back. While I can't comment much on the one that compared Lindqvist to Stephen King (not having read any King...), I wish I knew what was going through the mind of the one who said that this novel had "vampires at their Anne Ricean best." I wonder, has that person ever actually read any of Rice's vampire novels? I saw no echoes of Rice in there; if anything, I saw a new twist on vampire physiology and an interesting expression of old vampire lore, but it didn't touch on anything that Rice had built up in her novels.
Ultimately, this was a fantastic novel that I'd hand out copies of to everyone I know, if I could. Do not pass up the chance to read this one. If you like your vampire tales dark, gritty, and real, crack this one open and prepare for an amazing ride.
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better than the film.I was not disappointed.
The author has an incredible talent for detail, building realistic characters and all their idiosyncracies that are not essential to a novel but add so very much. It isn't often that I see a novel create such complete people; most often, the only parts of a character that are revealed are the ones essential to the plot, or at least to an important scene or two. As it was, I came away feeling that the characters were real, were people and not just skeleton figures dressed up for the purpose of telling a story.
The plot moved along with wonderful pacing, though I confess that I was more interested in what happened to Oskar and Eli than most of the other adults who were touched by an encounter with vampirism. It wasn't that those bits were boring (on the contrary, some of them were quite interesting), but they didn't hold my interest as well as other parts.
I also loved how gritty the setting was without being over the top. No idyllic little town, but it wasn't filled with wife-beaters and drunkards in every house. Families were broken, people's lives were strained, but they lived as well as they could and took their pleasures in what came their way, the way that the majority of people do. Life was neither great nor crappy. It just was. I like seeing that.
If anything baffled me about this novel, it was the reviews on the back. While I can't comment much on the one that compared Lindqvist to Stephen King (not having read any King...), I wish I knew what was going through the mind of the one who said that this novel had "vampires at their Anne Ricean best." I wonder, has that person ever actually read any of Rice's vampire novels? I saw no echoes of Rice in there; if anything, I saw a new twist on vampire physiology and an interesting expression of old vampire lore, but it didn't touch on anything that Rice had built up in her novels.
Ultimately, this was a fantastic novel that I'd hand out copies of to everyone I know, if I could. Do not pass up the chance to read this one. If you like your vampire tales dark, gritty, and real, crack this one open and prepare for an amazing ride.
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LibraryThing member andrlik
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
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.
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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.
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LibraryThing member lizday
I picked this up after seeing the film version and loving it, and if there's one thing that can be said about the film crew, it's that they knew what to cut.
The book version replaces the movie's charm, with a lot "transgressive" horror that reads as edgy for edgy's sake, a lot of which doesn't even
There's certainly subtext of pedophilia in the movie, but the book brings it fully forward. At one point, Eli's caretaker (I don't remember his name, and don't care to look it up) solicits a child prostitute in a public library(?) who has had all his teeth knocked out. Is it necessary for the child to have no teeth? Nah, but it's edgy and kinda creepy so might as well throw it in.
Toward the end of the novel, it's revealed that Eli was actually a boy who was forcibly castrated before becoming a vampire. But wait a second, if he's a boy, why has he been dressing like a girl the entire novel? Was Eli a transgender girl that was coincidentally castrated for unrelated reasons? Does this scene have anything to do with her becoming a vampire? Does this scene have anything to do with anything?! If it does, it's never explained. Just another excuse to be "edgy" and throw in a little trans panic, because why not?
Speaking of things that are never explained, why is it that when Eli bites the woman, she becomes a vampire, but when she bites her caretaker, he becomes a weird zombie thing? Does it make sense? No, but without it, you can't have the book's most ridiculous scene, where a zombie repeatedly tries to anally rape a vampire child. That's a thing that happened. In a book. That was published.
It's the kind of the stuff that fifteen-year-old boy would come up with when trying to figure the darkest, most edgy thing he can think of.
I haven't rewatched the movie since reading the book. I really hope I can without having the experience entirely ruined.
The book version replaces the movie's charm, with a lot "transgressive" horror that reads as edgy for edgy's sake, a lot of which doesn't even
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make sense.Toward the end of the novel, it's revealed that Eli was actually a boy who was forcibly castrated before becoming a vampire. But wait a second, if he's a boy, why has he been dressing like a girl the entire novel? Was Eli a transgender girl that was coincidentally castrated for unrelated reasons? Does this scene have anything to do with her becoming a vampire? Does this scene have anything to do with anything?! If it does, it's never explained. Just another excuse to be "edgy" and throw in a little trans panic, because why not?
Speaking of things that are never explained, why is it that when Eli bites the woman, she becomes a vampire, but when she bites her caretaker, he becomes a weird zombie thing? Does it make sense? No, but without it, you can't have the book's most ridiculous scene, where a zombie repeatedly tries to anally rape a vampire child. That's a thing that happened. In a book. That was published.
It's the kind of the stuff that fifteen-year-old boy would come up with when trying to figure the darkest, most edgy thing he can think of.
I haven't rewatched the movie since reading the book. I really hope I can without having the experience entirely ruined.
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LibraryThing member unapersson
This is a truly old school vampire novel, reaching back before the recent trend of vampires as romantic leads, and it is brilliant from start to finish. It has something of the quality and intensity of Joyce's Tooth Fairy or Bank's Wasp Factory, a coming of age novel with a disturbing twist. It is
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restrained with a slow pace, taking its time to really build up the characters, but is with intermingled with sudden acts of horrific violence. So not for the faint of heart. The characters are convincing, the story poignant and tinged with sadness and tragedy. Show Less
LibraryThing member Larkken
For anyone who feels a bit put out at how Twilight defanged vampires... (if you'll excuse the pun...)
As seen through a number of quiet subplots, a Swedish town is inexorably drawn together around a series of very strange murders. As Oskar deals with his bullying classmates, Tommy tries to
As seen through a number of quiet subplots, a Swedish town is inexorably drawn together around a series of very strange murders. As Oskar deals with his bullying classmates, Tommy tries to
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understand his mother's relationship with a new suitor and Lacke finally understands just how much Victoria means to him, an older man and a child come to live in their apartment complex, tying together all their petty troubles in one horrific tale. The story builds in intensity, eloquently (even in translation) showing just how easy it is to turn any one into a monster. Show Less
LibraryThing member drewjameson
My issue with this novel is that nearly every character, no matter how secondary, has a few sections as the narrator's focus, where the character's thought are made clear to the reader. However, we only care about three of them. Tolstoy could weave a skein of plot yarn this dense, but--unless far
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more is lost in the translation than is ultimately unavoidable--Tosltoy, Lindqvist ain't. I care about Oskar, Eli and Hakan, and constantly wanted to skip over the secondary and tertiary characters' sections. Show Less
LibraryThing member msaari
What a bloody vampire story. A ritual murder shakes up the sleepy suburb of Blackeberg near Stockholm, Sweden. 12-year old Oskar is disturbed by the murder, but even more disturbing is Eli, the girl next door. She dresses odd, smells funny and only appears after dark.
Combining vampire myths to
It's a thick book and the plot moves on a tad erratically, but the story was interesting enough to carry the book through the 600 pages or so it takes. One of the literary highlights of the year!
Combining vampire myths to
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pedophilia, Lindqvist creates a real horror story. The characters are real, and the humans are just as cruel - if not more - than the vampires. Oskar is bullied in school, and how Oskar grows up is another important thread in the story. Love's in the air, too.It's a thick book and the plot moves on a tad erratically, but the story was interesting enough to carry the book through the 600 pages or so it takes. One of the literary highlights of the year!
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LibraryThing member gaskella
I've read a few vampire books recently - they have all been rather cosy or had a good sense of humour. But then they've been mostly aimed at teens and young adults. Then I came to the Nordic vampire novel Let the Right One In, and found something truly dark and horrific that needed a strong stomach
The book is set in and around an anonymous housing estate, built at the edge of a forest in the suburbs of Stockholm. We are introduced to Oskar, twelve years old, fat and geeky, who is the chief victim of the class bullies, and we immediately feel for him. But then we meet Håkan, a quiet newcomer to the town; but he's also a seedy forty-five year old in a raincoat and has 'serial killer' written all over him - he's carrying a cylinder of anaesthetic, and he's prospecting for a victim - it doesn't take long, and then it's horrorshow time! Meanwhile Oskar meets Eli, a strange young girl who only appears in the evenings in the playground. They gradually strike up a friendship and once they realise that their bedrooms share a wall, they start to send morse code messages to each other; Eli's the first girl who's ever noticed Oskar. The rest of the supporting cast comprises a group of old men, drifters and alcoholics who meet at the pub - one of them thinks he saw something on the night of the first murder but they're all too scared. Eventually all of these character threads come together.
I won't expound any more on the plot as it would spoil the suspense; suffice it to say there are some particularly disturbing scenes in its 500+ pages. The relationship between Oskar and Eli is fascinating; Eli is of course a vampire. When Oskar finds someone to love it is touching, it is also the beginning of his growing up, being able to stand up for himself.
Oskar held the piece of paper with the Morse code in one hand and tapped letters into the wall with the other...
G.O.I.N.G. O.U.T.
The answer came after a few seconds.
I. M. C.O.M.I.N.G.
They met outside the entrance to her building. In one day she had ... changed. About a month ago a Jewish woman had come to his school, talked to them about the holocaust and shown them slides. Eli was looking a little bit like the people in those pictures.
The sharp light from the fixture above the door cast dark shadows on her face, as if the bones were threatening to protrude through the skin, as if the skin had become thinner. And ...'
What have you done with your hair?'He had thought it was the light that made it look like that, but when he came closer he saw that a few thick white strands ran through her hair. Like an old person. Eli ran a hand over her head. Smiled at him.
'It'll go away. What should we do?'
This novel was entirely different to any other vampire story I've read. It was thoroughly modern with no hints of Gothic melodrama at all. It was too long, but thoroughly gripping if you have the stomach for it. Moreover it takes our current fascination with all literary things Nordic, particularly crime novels, to another different level. Read it if you dare!
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and nerves of steel. It is a real contemporary chiller, full of violence and gore, totally relentless - yet at its heart is a the redemptive relationship between a twelve year old boy and a 200 year old vampire frozen into the body of a young girl.The book is set in and around an anonymous housing estate, built at the edge of a forest in the suburbs of Stockholm. We are introduced to Oskar, twelve years old, fat and geeky, who is the chief victim of the class bullies, and we immediately feel for him. But then we meet Håkan, a quiet newcomer to the town; but he's also a seedy forty-five year old in a raincoat and has 'serial killer' written all over him - he's carrying a cylinder of anaesthetic, and he's prospecting for a victim - it doesn't take long, and then it's horrorshow time! Meanwhile Oskar meets Eli, a strange young girl who only appears in the evenings in the playground. They gradually strike up a friendship and once they realise that their bedrooms share a wall, they start to send morse code messages to each other; Eli's the first girl who's ever noticed Oskar. The rest of the supporting cast comprises a group of old men, drifters and alcoholics who meet at the pub - one of them thinks he saw something on the night of the first murder but they're all too scared. Eventually all of these character threads come together.
I won't expound any more on the plot as it would spoil the suspense; suffice it to say there are some particularly disturbing scenes in its 500+ pages. The relationship between Oskar and Eli is fascinating; Eli is of course a vampire. When Oskar finds someone to love it is touching, it is also the beginning of his growing up, being able to stand up for himself.
Oskar held the piece of paper with the Morse code in one hand and tapped letters into the wall with the other...
G.O.I.N.G. O.U.T.
The answer came after a few seconds.
I. M. C.O.M.I.N.G.
They met outside the entrance to her building. In one day she had ... changed. About a month ago a Jewish woman had come to his school, talked to them about the holocaust and shown them slides. Eli was looking a little bit like the people in those pictures.
The sharp light from the fixture above the door cast dark shadows on her face, as if the bones were threatening to protrude through the skin, as if the skin had become thinner. And ...'
What have you done with your hair?'He had thought it was the light that made it look like that, but when he came closer he saw that a few thick white strands ran through her hair. Like an old person. Eli ran a hand over her head. Smiled at him.
'It'll go away. What should we do?'
This novel was entirely different to any other vampire story I've read. It was thoroughly modern with no hints of Gothic melodrama at all. It was too long, but thoroughly gripping if you have the stomach for it. Moreover it takes our current fascination with all literary things Nordic, particularly crime novels, to another different level. Read it if you dare!
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LibraryThing member Darrol
Worth a second read. Reflects the boredom of Swedish society, as much as a new twist on the vampire novel.
LibraryThing member eairo
"Blackeberg. Everything. These houses, streets you walk on, places, people, it all is just so... like one big damn disease, you see? Something is wrong. This place was designed and everything was built to be... perfect. But in some bloody way everything went all wrong."
And the King opens a new
The idea of a Swedish horror story was something so absurd it was irresistible. The image of Sweden is so safe one thinks vampires (etc.) would be bored to death in no time in there. But no. This was a refreshing read, it certainly was something new to me, as a vampire story -- genre little known to me; I know Dracula and I've tried Anne Rice (not liking her effort very much), but that's about it.
There is nothing fancy about the vampire (un)life here. Eli is an outcast who lives in the suburbs in the lousiest of flats, she uses the most miserable human beings to survive, and she has to keep on moving due to her murderous habits and need for blood.
The vampires are killers, as usal. Some of them cannot live with it, and even the ones with life lust stronger than the guilty conscience suffer from it. And they are not any worse than the "normal" human beings.
The usual horror stuff is there too: the gory, graphic violence, disgustingly detailed, even splatter-like at times. On the other hand there is not much suspense, no sudden frights. The true horror is the fear the characters feel. Their fear facing the unknown, unthinkable and most of all their fear facing the fact that people can do and do frightening things to each other.
Let the right one in covers about three weeks of the life of Oskar, an "almost thirteen" years old guy living with his mother in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm built in the 1950s. The story happens in early the 80s, and if the place ever was something special, that has worn off a long time ago.
Oskar is bullied by his schoolmates, he escapes into violent fantasies where he pays them back; he does thieving at local shops to show himself if no one else he is not totally powerless; and he says he likes reading. Then one night he meets Eli who is pretty, smells funny and only shows up after dark -- weird girl, but she wants to be with Oskar. She is also a 200 years old vampire in a body of a 12 years old child. They find out they have something in common, they become friends and allies. That changes their both's lives. And ends a few.
And the King opens a new
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bridge somewhere in his kingdom every week.The idea of a Swedish horror story was something so absurd it was irresistible. The image of Sweden is so safe one thinks vampires (etc.) would be bored to death in no time in there. But no. This was a refreshing read, it certainly was something new to me, as a vampire story -- genre little known to me; I know Dracula and I've tried Anne Rice (not liking her effort very much), but that's about it.
There is nothing fancy about the vampire (un)life here. Eli is an outcast who lives in the suburbs in the lousiest of flats, she uses the most miserable human beings to survive, and she has to keep on moving due to her murderous habits and need for blood.
The vampires are killers, as usal. Some of them cannot live with it, and even the ones with life lust stronger than the guilty conscience suffer from it. And they are not any worse than the "normal" human beings.
The usual horror stuff is there too: the gory, graphic violence, disgustingly detailed, even splatter-like at times. On the other hand there is not much suspense, no sudden frights. The true horror is the fear the characters feel. Their fear facing the unknown, unthinkable and most of all their fear facing the fact that people can do and do frightening things to each other.
Let the right one in covers about three weeks of the life of Oskar, an "almost thirteen" years old guy living with his mother in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm built in the 1950s. The story happens in early the 80s, and if the place ever was something special, that has worn off a long time ago.
Oskar is bullied by his schoolmates, he escapes into violent fantasies where he pays them back; he does thieving at local shops to show himself if no one else he is not totally powerless; and he says he likes reading. Then one night he meets Eli who is pretty, smells funny and only shows up after dark -- weird girl, but she wants to be with Oskar. She is also a 200 years old vampire in a body of a 12 years old child. They find out they have something in common, they become friends and allies. That changes their both's lives. And ends a few.
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LibraryThing member theWallflower
Swedish people are long-winded.
Good, now that that's off my chest, let's continue. I love the story, and I love the concept, but there were a lot of places where I could have pressed fast-forward.
The reason to read a book after the movie is to see what you missed - what "really" happened. "Let
Maybe this is just a case of liking the first version you see (like sometimes you hear the remix or cover first, and you like that better than the original song), but I recommend the movie over the book. You don't miss anything, and the movie makes a little more sense. Plus, the visuals work better in film than in the book.
Good, now that that's off my chest, let's continue. I love the story, and I love the concept, but there were a lot of places where I could have pressed fast-forward.
The reason to read a book after the movie is to see what you missed - what "really" happened. "Let
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the Right One In" is pretty much the same, but much, much longer. Every detail is explored, every thought, every idea, every conversation is brought out into long detail. You lose what the author is trying to say, because there are so many storylines. And if you stop reading, you're going to forget what happened. It was like Lindqvist just kept writing and writing and writing, then he had to pee, came back, and realized he had written 40,000 pages. Maybe this is just a case of liking the first version you see (like sometimes you hear the remix or cover first, and you like that better than the original song), but I recommend the movie over the book. You don't miss anything, and the movie makes a little more sense. Plus, the visuals work better in film than in the book.
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LibraryThing member smetchie
I can't stop thinking about the characters. Most of them weren't likable but I ended up caring for them anyway. In the way you care about your family even if they're screwed up and do really bad things. This book is gruesome, horrifying, sweet and tender. how strange.
LibraryThing member tigermel
I saw the movie late last year and loved it. All i can say is that the book is even better. The basic story is simple. Oskar, an almost teenaged boy, lives with his mother in Sweden. He's bullied constantly and dreams of revenging himself on his tormentors. He meets Eli, a young girl who moves in
Because Eli is a 200 year old vampire.
In the book we learn a lot more information about the people around the story. All the adults are ineffectual; some are alcoholics, the teachers seem to ignore/be blind to what Oskar is going through. The children bully, steal, get high, and hide to try to cope with their lives. Oskar is left to navigate the world alone until Eli comes along and opens his eyes.
It is so dark, and lonely, and achingly sad. at a few points i actually found myself crying. You feel so deeply for all the characters. Even Hakan, a pedophile in Eli's thrall, the one character of any you think no one would feel sorry for, is so pitiful and pathetic. what is weird, what makes this story so effective, is that it has a happy ending.
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next door, and everything in his life changes.Because Eli is a 200 year old vampire.
In the book we learn a lot more information about the people around the story. All the adults are ineffectual; some are alcoholics, the teachers seem to ignore/be blind to what Oskar is going through. The children bully, steal, get high, and hide to try to cope with their lives. Oskar is left to navigate the world alone until Eli comes along and opens his eyes.
It is so dark, and lonely, and achingly sad. at a few points i actually found myself crying. You feel so deeply for all the characters. Even Hakan, a pedophile in Eli's thrall, the one character of any you think no one would feel sorry for, is so pitiful and pathetic. what is weird, what makes this story so effective, is that it has a happy ending.
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LibraryThing member lilywren
Lindqvist has been compared to Stephen King which is a comparison not without merit as he matches King blow for blow with this story. In fact, Let the Right One In takes me back to my King reading youth which lies somewhere in the 1980's and not far from the year in which this book is set (1981) .
I
Oskar is 12 years old and relentlessly bullied at school. He has no friends. Life is hard and he is anxious to the point of incontinence. His dream world consists of keeping a scrap-book of newspaper articles on murders and mass murderers and fantasising about fighting back and killing his bullies. He's a good kid at heart but sad and angry at the cards life has dealt him, about being singled out and bullied and at himself and his inability to fight back. Things change when he meets Eli, his new neighbour and possible soul mate.
Eli is 'around' 12 years old and quite eccentric. She has moved into the flat next door with her 'father' but all is not as it seems. After a chance meeting with Oskar one evening they start to develop a friendship. As this friendship develops so does Oskar's strength and confidence in life. As the story develops so does his awareness around sex, sexuality and love, in particular the sense of confusion he feels when he thinks about Eli. This is certainly a 'coming of age' relationship for Oskar. This is also the case for Eli as she explores her feelings for Oskar, their friendship and especially her struggle in coming to terms with being a '12 year old child' having lived as a vampire for 200 years.
Around this developing unconventional relationship, Lindqvist creates an atmosphere that is typically Scandinavian. Cold, dark, simple and stylish with a quirky edge. Yes, Lindqvist uses a lot of words, taking his time to get to where we should be. Some readers may feel that an amount of what Lindqvist has written is superfluous. However, I believe everything to be an essential part of the story. Lindqvist takes his time, building characters and scenes that may not initially feel relevant to the reader but they will eventually come together to form vital parts to the story overall. Give it time. Once again, comparisons to Stephen King can be made. I remember reading 'Christine' when I was younger, wondering where the heck things were going. King got there eventually and it made the journey all the more worthwhile. It's the same here with Let the Right One In and Lindqvist.
We get there....eventually.
Ultimately, this is a story of two lonely people coming together to form a friendship in a world in which they don't fit. However, a warning note to readers attracted to the more romantic and ethereal vampire story - Let the Right One In is not soft around the edges. It doesn't mince its words and certainly does not romanticise the subject in any way. Whilst it sensitively explores the developing relationship between Eli and Oskar, it remains quite graphic and descriptive in detail. It's gritty, dirty and, in some scenes, downright seedy. It's certainly not a book for the faint hearted nor for those that like their vampires with a bit more romance and less blood and dirt. It's definitely a book for those who like a horror story to hit them straight between the eyes and not allow them get up for a while afterwards.
I
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haven't read a horror book for many years and, unusually for me, I bought this book after I had seen the Swedish film. I was taken by the simplicity, the atmosphere and horrific beauty of the film that I just had to get the book. I'd heard that the film had missed out much that was in the book (I am not surprised) and this left me curious. The book had been sitting on my shelf unread for the last couple of years and now, having read it within a week or so, I'm wondering why I had left it for so long.Oskar is 12 years old and relentlessly bullied at school. He has no friends. Life is hard and he is anxious to the point of incontinence. His dream world consists of keeping a scrap-book of newspaper articles on murders and mass murderers and fantasising about fighting back and killing his bullies. He's a good kid at heart but sad and angry at the cards life has dealt him, about being singled out and bullied and at himself and his inability to fight back. Things change when he meets Eli, his new neighbour and possible soul mate.
Eli is 'around' 12 years old and quite eccentric. She has moved into the flat next door with her 'father' but all is not as it seems. After a chance meeting with Oskar one evening they start to develop a friendship. As this friendship develops so does Oskar's strength and confidence in life. As the story develops so does his awareness around sex, sexuality and love, in particular the sense of confusion he feels when he thinks about Eli. This is certainly a 'coming of age' relationship for Oskar. This is also the case for Eli as she explores her feelings for Oskar, their friendship and especially her struggle in coming to terms with being a '12 year old child' having lived as a vampire for 200 years.
Around this developing unconventional relationship, Lindqvist creates an atmosphere that is typically Scandinavian. Cold, dark, simple and stylish with a quirky edge. Yes, Lindqvist uses a lot of words, taking his time to get to where we should be. Some readers may feel that an amount of what Lindqvist has written is superfluous. However, I believe everything to be an essential part of the story. Lindqvist takes his time, building characters and scenes that may not initially feel relevant to the reader but they will eventually come together to form vital parts to the story overall. Give it time. Once again, comparisons to Stephen King can be made. I remember reading 'Christine' when I was younger, wondering where the heck things were going. King got there eventually and it made the journey all the more worthwhile. It's the same here with Let the Right One In and Lindqvist.
We get there....eventually.
Ultimately, this is a story of two lonely people coming together to form a friendship in a world in which they don't fit. However, a warning note to readers attracted to the more romantic and ethereal vampire story - Let the Right One In is not soft around the edges. It doesn't mince its words and certainly does not romanticise the subject in any way. Whilst it sensitively explores the developing relationship between Eli and Oskar, it remains quite graphic and descriptive in detail. It's gritty, dirty and, in some scenes, downright seedy. It's certainly not a book for the faint hearted nor for those that like their vampires with a bit more romance and less blood and dirt. It's definitely a book for those who like a horror story to hit them straight between the eyes and not allow them get up for a while afterwards.
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LibraryThing member ladybug74
I loved this book! Some of the foreign names were a little difficult for me to distinguish at first, but the actual story was great. I'm not quite sure if I understood the ending, but am not sure if it was meant to be like this or if it was just me.
Awards
Otherwise Award (Honor List — 2008)
Nocte Award (Novela extranjera 2009)
Language
Original language
Swedish
Original publication date
2004
Physical description
484 p.; 22 cm
ISBN
9788763802789
Local notes
Omslag: Camilla Jørgensen
Omslaget viser en dreng eller pige som farvenegativ
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra svensk "Låt den rätte komma in" af Jesper Klint Kistorp
Side 155: Det er de sidste ord Kristus sagde på korset. Min Gud, min Gud, hvorfor har du forladt mig? Eli, Eli, lama sabaktani?
Side 161: Eli tog et skridt hen mod katten, og den blottede tænder, hvæsede. Kroppen var spændt til spring. Et skridt til.
Side 211: Katten hedder Thisbe. "Fint navn. Har du så også en Pyramus?"
Side 413: Hans tarmindhold blev tømt ud i bukserne i en våd eksplosion som stænkede varme ud over hans bagdel.
Side 419: En bevægelse. Og Tommy følte at noget væsentligt, noget han behøvede for at være Tommy, forlod ham da væsnet atter løftede hovedet, begyndte at komme på benene.
Omslaget viser en dreng eller pige som farvenegativ
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra svensk "Låt den rätte komma in" af Jesper Klint Kistorp
Side 155: Det er de sidste ord Kristus sagde på korset. Min Gud, min Gud, hvorfor har du forladt mig? Eli, Eli, lama sabaktani?
Side 161: Eli tog et skridt hen mod katten, og den blottede tænder, hvæsede. Kroppen var spændt til spring. Et skridt til.
Side 211: Katten hedder Thisbe. "Fint navn. Har du så også en Pyramus?"
Side 413: Hans tarmindhold blev tømt ud i bukserne i en våd eksplosion som stænkede varme ud over hans bagdel.
Side 419: En bevægelse. Og Tommy følte at noget væsentligt, noget han behøvede for at være Tommy, forlod ham da væsnet atter løftede hovedet, begyndte at komme på benene.
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Pages
484
DDC/MDS
| 839.738 |