Let Me In Review
Okay, so this book is definitely NOT for the faint of heart. I enjoy dark, gritty stories and am not easily offended by normally taboo subject matter so that is perhaps why I was not put off by this story as a few others were.
--Warning, the following contains some spoilers--
If you're looking for a light read, a sweet romance, kick-a$$ vampires you can idolize then find another book. There are no completely good nor completely bad characters in this book. Yes some are waaay worse than others but somehow the author manages to rouse a hint of sympathy for the most despicable characters--of course I'm speaking of Hakan here. Normally in books, movies, etc., these types of characters are the one-dimensional "evils" but the author gives a depth to these people that reminds us that no one is completely good nor completely bad. I found it rather disturbed me that I could feel any sort of sympathy for a pedophile like Hakan, even though my sympathy was very slight. I think most people want to demonize such individuals and to think of them as anything but pure evil is extremely difficult. I know it was for me, not that I'm saying "poor Hakan" now or anything (although the man was clearly sick) but the way the author portrays these characters really makes a person think and re-evaluate their emotions on these issues.
To me, this story felt more as if it were showing the "evils" of real life--the suffering individuals go through each day battling with different problems--as being much more frightening than a potential vampire swooping down on you in the night. Normally I do not care for stories about children but Oskar and Eli were extremely captivating characters.
Oskar was such a realistic character and should serve as an eye-opener to people regarding the potential emotional damage caused by bullying (layered on top of broken home issues). Perhaps Oskar would never have harmed anyone in his life, but I couldn't help but think the poor boy's psyche could have easily fractured further leading him to one day bring a rifle to school and opening fire. I liked the fact that he gained some confidence but did NOT turn completely confident nor into a super bad-a$$ who kicked everyone's butt and sent the bullies running. That's fantasy--not reality. What terrible things he may do in the future (for Eli's survival) is uncertain but the reader can speculate. We know that he will help Eli out of love but that doesn't make the idea of murder less severe does it? I also can't help but wonder about their future. If Oskar does not become vampire (since he says he doesn't want to be, but just wants to be with Eli) will the relationship become romantic as he gets older and starts having sexual urges? Will it be a sort of Hakan-Eli type relationship only this time sweeter and mutual? Even though there's a certain love there, I really don't think this is a happily ever after type of ending for those two. And I don't think it's meant to be.
What led me to give this book 4 stars rather than 5 was a few reasons. For one, as others have mentioned there are a lot of side characters and sub-plots that seem unnecessary to me. I did enjoy Virgina and Lacke's relationship quite a bit though.
Another thing that bothered me--unless I somehow missed the explanation--was how the heck Eli actually became a vampire. Was this told or did I accidentally skip a page? I assume it had something to do with that creepy guy who cut off Eli's "boy parts" (which wasn't explained why that happened either). Was Eli the subject of some sort of ritual that turned him that way, a primitive genetic experiment (it's mentioned about a virus in the blood), or were the two creepy guys vampires and turned him for kicks? I'm assuming the last one since the guy who cut off Eli's parts drank the blood. But it's not explained. Also, why do cats hate the vampires so much and attack them? If anyone knows Stephen King's "Sleepwalkers" I found that aspect of the story similar but it was never explained why cats had the irresistible urge to attack vampires. All of those things just left me scratching my head a bit.
Also, the scene with vampire/undead Hakan in Tommy's basement seemed a little unnecessary in my opinion. Speaking of which, what was he exactly? Virgina turned vampire but Hakan was acting like a zombie. Anyway, I can almost rationalize it as being Hakan's overwhelming obsession to finally "be with" Eli that drove him in that state. But zombie Hakan walking around with a hard-on attempting to find Eli and almost raping him in Tommy's basement? It's not something that makes me want to throw the book down, the scene is disturbing of course, but the attempted rape by a zombie-type creature seemed almost gratuitous in my opinion. The scene could have played out just as easily if Hakan simply showed up just trying to find Eli since he "loved" him.
Anyway, those issues aside, I still really enjoyed this book. It's one of the better books I've read in a long time and the actual plot is one of the most original as well. I haven't seen the film yet but I intend to soon. As I mentioned, this is not a light-hearted read and is definitely for adults only. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys darker stories. "Let the Right One In" is definitely a book that will make you think and feel in a way most other stories--vampire or otherwise--do not.
--EDIT--
I've just watched the film and I must say the book is MUCH better. I can understand why people who saw the film first might have been put off by the book. The movie version is sweeter and almost cute in how it portrays Oskar and Eli's relationship and it doesn't even touch on so many of the issues presented in the book. Hakan's character wasn't explored at all (his part was actually very small) and if I had not read the book, I would not have even known he was a pedophile and just wondered who was that random guy taking care of Eli. I probably would have liked the movie better had I not read the book but I would have definitely had tons of questions because the film doesn't explain anything and no depth is given to the characters except for Oskar and Eli. The random shot in the movie that shows where Eli's genitals had been cut off would have definitely been a WTF moment for me had I not read the book, the movie explained nothing about Eli's past. I suppose the movie was meant to leave the viewer questioning a lot of these things though. Bottom line: If you're not afraid of darker subject matter, definitely read the book rather than watch the film. It's a much more engaging story.
Let Me In Overview
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Customer Reviews
Judging the book on the movies is an error - tigercaron - Minneapolis, MN United States
I don't want to add too much except to say that the book is too creepy. I expected a fun read, I got disturbing and unsettled. Think a couple turns tighter than Salem's Lot by King and you'll get the idea. The development of the characters is more defined than the movie. I spent much of my time with this read stunned at what the Swedish movie missed.
The title lost a star as the writing style could be distracting: As the focus moved from one character to another in the story, I tended to lose track of where (or who) I was at critical moments.
I wanted to share an experience: During one of the final chapters, one character burst into flames. I read that and I could smell smoke. It turned out that someone had lit a small fire outside on the step of my apartment building burning the molding.I caught it before it became much of a threat but it was a wild coincidence.
If You Think The Movie Was Good, Wait Until You See This - Sorokahdeen - New York, NY
Full of hope and horror, John Ajvidi Linquist's Let the Right One In is an undervalued novel. There is so much in it that is so real, so good and so different from all the things around it that it is hard to do it justice.
More than just another sample of "fang-fiction," Let The Right One In explores the most familiar ideas of vampirism and sets the result in a run-down housing settlement populated by the lonely, unseen people in Sweden's socialist success story, by single mothers, juvenile delinquents, pensioners, policemen and alcoholics. It is a community of facelessness whose residents often share nothing but the walls and hallways that separate their living spaces and creates a perfect hunting ground for a creature composed of secret, evil need.
What differentiates Lindquist from the thundering herd of writers currently cranking out vampire fictions in print, movies and television is Lindquist's fearless walk down the paths where his ideas and characters lead him. His characters make sense. His setting makes sense. The inability of the community to react makes sense. His explanation of vampirism and its compulsion is believable without wincing as is the vampire's choice of companion (and the horrific consequences of that choice) and so is the touching, twisted relationship that is the core of the story.
With Lindquist's deep skill, Let The Right One In enfolds the reader in a story of jaw-dropping darkness and sexual ambiguity shot through with flashes of childhood innocence that stands in absolute contrast to the polite homoeroticism of Rice or the worn, reflexive feminism of Harris and Meyer. Lindquist writes like a writer and never deviates from the directions in which his characters and ideas lead him: over and over he makes it disturbingly clear that he did not sit down to write characters whose lives any sane reader would like to slip into and Eli, the vampire-child of the story is, very simply, a monster-a sentient unnaturally animated, corpse that had once been a child-driven for centuries by an aching loneliness and a savage will to survive.
In a world where it seems no manuscript with the word "vampire" in it can escape publication, Let The Right One In is a breath of fresh air. It is a dark, disturbing, book filled with images and scenes that stick with you and change your understanding. It is a real novel, one written without compromise and without pity-a vampire novel written for people who've read something other than vampire novels and there is nothing phony in it.
Nothing in Let The Right One In gives the reader the impression that it is there because Lindquist thought, "Oh, they'll love this!" Twenty pages of Let The Right One In are all it takes to give the reader an impression that is like driving down a road and coming to a signpost that says, "The Meyer Stops Here."
I can't recommend it enough.
Disturbingly Good Horror - Mesmerix - Toledo, OH USA
(No Spoilers) When I picked up Let the Right One In, I did so because a friend told me the movie was excellent. Well, I haven't seen the movie yet, but the book was captivating. It held my attention, kept me turning pages, and gave me the occasional nightmare. Lindqvist is a truly disturbing horror writer who is capable of using your own thoughts rather than outright gore or violence. Not to say the book is without its share of bloodshed, but the true frights come from his blend of the innocent with the horrific.
The characters are brilliantly written and enchanting. Lindqvist warps your sense of pity until you don't know who is really good/bad anymore. The dialogue is masterful.
This book is not for the faint of heart. Incredibly disturbing and provacative. Don't read before bedtime.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 30, 2010 11:41:04
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