Let the Right One In

"One of those really really wonderful books I’m really really glad I don’t have to read again. It’s been a long time since I read something so unsettling in so many ways."

"3.75 star<br/><br/>The story centers around a beautiful relationship between two wide eyed children Owen and Eli. Their uniqueness and acceptance of each other in whole was breathtaking. I relished there time together as if the rest of the world didn't exist. Eli's character was the embodiment of loneliness. While Owen felt alone as well not belonging to the world around. Eli's Yin to Owen's Yang is the best way to describe it.<br/><br/>Perfect for a cold fall read. Very graphic and atmospheric. To me the multiple pov's was unnecessary though and possibly the worst part of the story. Sometimes reading like Dracula. Unloading a pile of useless vampire information or details that should be obvious.<br/><br/>Be aware Let the Right One In has many trigger warnings. It is difficult to get past the child abuse. Bulling is also high on the list. It didn't go into to much detail in which I am grateful but still disturbing stuff. <br/><br/>This was a very long story that slowing reveals itself. I thought Steven Pacey narration was a nice addition to the story. But really the curiosity of the children, Eli's background, and the slow burn love and trust filled my heart. Owen learns to love a monster and Eli doesn't have to be alone."

"This book was disturbing on a few levels, and I do not recommend it to anyone with a weak stomach when it comes to violence, abuse, pedophiles and Bullying. The author is very descriptive and paints a vivid picture. The story is centred on a twelve year old boy named Oskar who is obsessed with murderers and clips all articles he can find for his collection. This fascination seems to stem from the lack of control he has over his own life that he fantasises about being someone who would be feared. Oskar is the victim of some horrible bullying and he can’t seem to tell anyone about it. His mother, who he lives with, seems too wrapped up in her own life to even notice that there is anything major going on with her son. When Oskar meets Eli, the new girl who moved in next door, he finally feels like he has a true friend. Eli and her dad seem a little odd though, and keep very unusual hours. There are quite a few other characters in the story that are fairly interesting as well and lead minor roles in the plot. What I did find interesting though is that the majority of the characters seem to come from broken homes / single parent families, or are divorced / separated. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking into watching the movie now. I would have given the book 5 stars if Eli's history had been completely explained, I felt it was left off at a crucial part and never finished."

"Chilling and unique"

"this is my favorite book of all time. it’s terrifying and absolutely disgusting at times, but is sad. idk i just think it’s such an interesting spin on vampires and the messages it sends about living as a child with little to no support, and manipulation. it could show love and entrapment which is truly horrifying. i really hate the new show they made on it. it’s so watered down. it’s like they took every aspect of the story and perverted it into some weird crime drama for middle aged women"

"I saw the movie recently, which perfectly captures the chilly isolation and alienation of the book. It left out a few things though; the murders are more numerous and a bit more grisly than on screen, and the characters more complex. Even the bullies who torment Oskar have more facets to them than the one dimensional villains in the film.<br/><br/>This makes for provocative social commentary on modern day (actual early 80s) Scandinavian life. The novel is really a story of 5 extremely dysfunctional family groups, and alcoholism plays a major role in almost all of them. (Significantly, the vampire "family" is the only one without a drunk or two).<br/><br/>Lacke, the well-meaning but befuddled friend of two vampire victims muses, "This is Sweden. Carry out a chair and put it on the sidewalk. Sit there in that chair and wait. If you wait long enough someone will come out and give you money". If you wanted a biting, Republican critique of the welfare state, you couldn't do better. Is Lindqvist suggesting that vampires are not the _only_ parasites draining the nation's lifeblood? Hmmm."

"This book can be viewed 2 different ways. It can be seen as young innocent love OR codendecy with manipulation. It is very deep and scary."

"Wow. This one actually scared me. Like, I didn’t want to keep reading alone at night. So so so good."