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A review by caityq
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This book was recommended to me and not one I would've picked up myself - so I am grateful to have been lead to it.
It is a fresh, visceral take on a classic theme, and I really enjoyed every moment - even if some were really uncomfortable.
This book was essentially about vampires - but in a way that didn't feel well-trodden.
First of all, Oskar is one of the main voices of the book and at first you think you know which way the book is going. However, Oskar's initial 'bloodlust' at his bullies doesn't stand up to actual murder.
He falls for (mostly, he is 12/13 and fickle) Eli, who's gender is pretty flexible. You learn - through psychic kissing which sounds odd to type but really worked in the context of the book - the torture and means through which Eli became not only a vampire, but as they are - without any genitals.
Through this semi-romantic plot, there's Hakan - an older man who whilst he knows he finds younger boys attractive, thinks he's hit the jackpot with Eli - body of a 12 year old, mine of a 200 year old. When Hakan becomes infected it seems to take differently. Not in his heart - but I believe in his penis (which sounds weird but works in the context of the book, yet again).
There's a visceral gore - from Oskar's piss-ball to Hakan's vampiric erection - that I really enjoyed, even though it was uncomfortable at times.
It is a fresh, visceral take on a classic theme, and I really enjoyed every moment - even if some were really uncomfortable.
This book was essentially about vampires - but in a way that didn't feel well-trodden.
First of all, Oskar is one of the main voices of the book and at first you think you know which way the book is going. However, Oskar's initial 'bloodlust' at his bullies doesn't stand up to actual murder.
He falls for (mostly, he is 12/13 and fickle) Eli, who's gender is pretty flexible. You learn - through psychic kissing which sounds odd to type but really worked in the context of the book - the torture and means through which Eli became not only a vampire, but as they are - without any genitals.
Through this semi-romantic plot, there's Hakan - an older man who whilst he knows he finds younger boys attractive, thinks he's hit the jackpot with Eli - body of a 12 year old, mine of a 200 year old. When Hakan becomes infected it seems to take differently. Not in his heart - but I believe in his penis (which sounds weird but works in the context of the book, yet again).
There's a visceral gore - from Oskar's piss-ball to Hakan's vampiric erection - that I really enjoyed, even though it was uncomfortable at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Pedophilia, and Rape