Review: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

From the publisher:

It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last---revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day.

But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door---a girl who has never seen a Rubik's cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night....


My Take:

I have always been a fan of vampire stories. While I enjoy the modern stories portraying them as handsome or beautiful and sometimes not quite so evil, I prefer the stories that make them out to be true monsters. This book leans more towards the latter, but gives the reader some compassion for the monster's circumstances.

This is a translation from the original Swedish. The author has been touted as the Swedish version of Stephen King. I agree that their imaginations seem to work in similar fashion. A lot of King's works feature a child or a group of children that are terrorized by bullies. The same is true with this novel. I found it interesting that Oskar is reading the book Firestarter at one point.

There are quite a few characters in this novel and I found it a little difficult to keep up with them all, mainly due to the lack of familiarity with Swedish names. I did enjoy the many side plots and background on some of the characters. It was actually nice to have characters that have flaws to compliment their strengths. I really got the sense that extraordinary events were happening to ordinary people.

The main plot line centers around the relationship between Oskar and Eli. Anything but a normal relationship, they enjoy each other's company. Eli's dark secrets pose several obstacles, but the two seem destined to like each other. Oskar is forced to grow up a little faster than would have happened normally.

Lindqvist breaks away from the modern and historical vampire canons and brings us something truly original. It is not often that books provide real surprises to me, but this one delivered. I enjoyed this fresh take and look forward to future translations of the author's works.

About the Author:

John Ajvide Lindqvist grew up in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm. John worked as a magician and stand-up comedian for twelve years before becoming an author. Lindqvist has written other novels including Handling the Undead published in 2005. He has written several pieces for Swedish television as well as the manuscript for the film based on Let the Right One In. John is a huge Morrissey fan, admitting that the name of his novel came from the song "Let the Right One Slip In".