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Let Me In

John Ajvide Lindqvist,

Ebba Sergerberg (Translator)

4.03 · Rating details · 95,849 ratings · 6,111 reviews

Set in 1981, Let Me In is the horrific tale of Oskar and Eli. It begins with the grisly discovery of the body of a teenage boy, emptied of blood. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last -- revenge for all the bad things the bullies at school do to him, day after day. While Oskar is fascinated by the murder, it is not the most important ...more

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Paperback, 472 pages

Published August 31st 2010 by St. Martin's Griffin (first published May 2004)

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Average rating 4.03 ·

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· 95,849 ratings · 6,111 reviews

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Sep 24, 2009 Paul Bryant rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: spooky-ookums, novels

I finally got my revenge on Sweden. For most of my life I’ve been bombarded with newspapers and radio telling me how Sweden is so much much very much absolutely completely better than Britain at practically everything. Here’s some random quotes from the BBC news archive :

“Sweden has probably the strongest freedom of information law anywhere in the world.”

“Sweden has one of the best staffed health services in the world. But as a parent, Sweden seems the perfect place to have children.”

“BBC's Joe ...more

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Aug 01, 2013 Jayson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: author-nordic, read-in-2012, genre-horror, format-translated, 400-499-pp, genre-gothic, subject-vampires, era-cold-war

(A) 86% | Extraordinary
Notes: Tenderness with ferocity. It's lonely, desperate people living in ashen desolation. The grey makes the red stand out. ...more

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Apr 23, 2009 Manny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: swedish-norwegian-and-danish, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, mentions-twilight, transcendent-experiences

You know that bit at the beginning of Amadeus, where Salieri has composed this very uninspired little march, which he and the Emperor play for Mozart? Then Mozart sits down at the keyboard and says, hm, that's not quite right, is it? And he messes around with it for a couple of minutes, until he's suddenly transformed it into "Here's farewell to the games with the girls" from The Marriage of Figaro.

Well, it's like that Låt den rätte komma in and Twilight. John Ajvide Lindqvist has looked at Ste ...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Jason rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: for-kindle, reviewed, 2011

Yo, lesson for you, Stephenie: this is how you write a fucking vampire novel.

So you can run and tell THAT.

...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Stephen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, ebooks, audiobook, dark-and-gritty, 2000-2005, fang-bangers, children-behaving-badly, the-creeps

Soiled…soiled and a bit emotionally off-kilter.

That’s the best I can do to describe how this book made me feel. It’s dark, morose and...really…really...REALLY…creepy. Not strange sounds and creaking doors creepy. Creepy like that "overly affectionate" uncle who stares at you too often and always wants a hug that lasts for an inappropriate length of time. That kind of creepy.

This book oozes it.

The working class Swedish suburb where the story takes place feels dingy, depressing and rundown. The p ...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Kemper rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, scandinavian-mayhem, horror

After watching the Swedish movie this book is based on, I thought it was an intensely creepy film and promptly got the book to check out the full story. I figured that the planned American film version would be a pale shadow of the original because there’s no way that a Hollywood movie studio is going to show that messed up tale in it’s original form to audiences in the U.S. Little did I know that even the Swedish producers didn’t have the collective nutsack to give us the full story on how godd After watching the Swedish movie this book is based on, I thought it was an intensely creepy film and promptly got the book to check out the full story. I figured that the planned American film version would be a pale shadow of the original because there’s no way that a Hollywood movie studio is going to show that messed up tale in it’s original form to audiences in the U.S. Little did I know that even the Swedish producers didn’t have the collective nutsack to give us the full story on how goddamn twisted the book is.

Set in the early ‘80s, it features a 12 year old boy named Oskar whose alcoholic father and overprotective mother are divorced. Oskar is an outcast and is badly bullied by other kids in his class, and he’s developing a pretty good case of homicidal rage because of it. In fact, he’s well on his way to becoming the kind of guy who dances around his basement while screaming at his latest victim to put the lotion on it’s skin or else it gets the hose again.

Before Oskar completely turns into Buffalo Bill, he meets Eli, a deadly vampire who appears to be a 12 year old girl. Oskar and Eli strike up an unlikely friendship that’s almost a pre-adolescent romance, but things are going off the rails around them. Eli’s version of Renfield is a creepy pedophile who is jealous of their relationship and can’t be counted on to keep Eli supplied with fresh blood. When Eli’s need for food makes her sloppy, the results are victims and traces that threaten to reveal her. Juvenile delinquents, Swedish alcoholics, a strict cop, a jar of acid and a herd of cats all collide in a variety of terrible ways.

This is a gloriously gruesome and disturbing horror novel that would probably cause Stephanie Meyer to have a stroke if she ever even dared to hold a copy of it in her hackish little hands. Like the best horror novels, the gore and monsters aren’t the scary parts, it’s the way that the ’normal’ people treat each other that will really haunt you. ...more

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May 31, 2019 Matthew rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019, horror, mystery, suspense, completist-book-club, own, supernatural

2.5 to 3 stars

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion. I don't think I have ever seen on statuses for books I have read before so many people professing their love for a book! But, for me it was everything from just okay at times to drawn out and boring. Sorry everyone! *ducks as things are thrown his way*

Another thing thing that I am not sure I liked or disliked, or if it even added to the story, was the excessive gore and shocking content. Let me be clear, I am all about gore and sho ...more

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Sep 15, 2015 Fabian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

An unlikely FLAT-OUT MASTERPIECE that contains the most visceral type of horror fiction elements. He expertly expands them toward a precipice of dread. A one-of-a-kind experience, a delicious sassy slap to the moribund reader.

To be read AT ONCE. Do it! NOW! Nothing comes as close as this one to a true modern EXPERIENCE (that feels simultaneously as old as time itself). Take the title of this work literally. Find the time to seek this one out--nothing American comes even close to its gorgeous mon ...more

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Aug 05, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, favorites, i-learned-something-new, leaves-awesomeness-behind, books-i-want-for-christmas

Imagine for a moment that you were at an event, like the 1995 Rugby World cup where South Africa both hosted and won. Imagine being there in the heat of that moment - the cheer and ebulation. That light, almost unreal sense that the world has faded away and there is only that moment. Nothing else is important and you want to quietly capture the complete bliss you are experiencing and put it in a bottle somewhere. Hopefully at some future date you can take it out and rekindle those emotions and b Imagine for a moment that you were at an event, like the 1995 Rugby World cup where South Africa both hosted and won. Imagine being there in the heat of that moment - the cheer and ebulation. That light, almost unreal sense that the world has faded away and there is only that moment. Nothing else is important and you want to quietly capture the complete bliss you are experiencing and put it in a bottle somewhere. Hopefully at some future date you can take it out and rekindle those emotions and bask in that one, perfect moment again.

Then imagine that you are standing outside of a train station. A train has just crashed in front of you. Pleople are screaming, and the stench of smoking meat is tickling your nose as your eyes sting and water. There's that same feeling. That feeling of, "Is this really happening?" Light. Dizzy. Disbelief. Overwhelming to the point of nausea. You can't forget that moment. It will haunt you. Every time you catch a wiff of smoke those memories will come flooding back, whether you want them to or not.

Same feelings, at their most basic level, but entirely different in their mode. In the first situation you jump and holler. You'll hug those around you, even if you don't know them, and celebrate together. Knitted into temporary friendship because you're experiencing the same, awesome event. For weeks later you'll tell anybody who listens that you were there. You'll tell them about how incredible it was and try to impart on them some semblance of what you felt.

Cut back to the second scenario where you'll stand quietly in solidarity with those around you. Once again, knitted together. Brothers and sisters formed from tragedy. You may hold each other and gather around silently. When other people ask you about it, you'll get that look in your eyes that tells them you've seen things.

You're just as altered as the first scene, but where there was ebulation then, there is horror now.

This is what happens when I read certain books. Books like Stolen fit in the first category. They touch me and move me, so I run around telling everyone that I read it. It was amazing. Share in this experience with me. I want to help you feel what I felt.

Then there are books like this. Now I quietly tell you that I read it. That it touched me. Changed me. I look you in the eye and I don't want to elaborate. I quitely turn away and think a little bit more on what I've seen and read, and how it made me feel.

And maybe if you've read a book like this too, you might be able to understand why there's really nothing more for me to say.

...more

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Apr 30, 2009 Tatiana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, mysteries-thrillers-horror

As seen on The Readventurer

I can't even find the words to describe how much I LOVED this novel. But let me start by warning Twilight lovers that this book is not about sexy sparkly vampires and teenage love. If you are not ready to read about ugly realities of human life, do not open this book.

It is not an easy book to read. The story is complex and involves many characters, whose presence sometimes is just momentary. The action moves from one character to another very quickly. But once you und ...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, horror, thriller, fiction

Dear Stephenie,

This is how you write a "vampire" book.

Sincerely,

The World ...more

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Oct 01, 2013 F rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: seen-movie, 2015, sweden

Loved it.
Scary as hell and so violent.
Loved both films

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Jan 03, 2009 Kristen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nerdypursuits-scififantasy

Terrifying, engrossing and a book that encompasses many different topics. Not just a story about vampires; this book takes on such issues as bullying, revenge, pedophilia, prostitution, drug use, alcoholism and the sheer desperation of loneliness. Beautifully written and terribly disturbing. This book sets the bar for the genre.

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Aug 13, 2015 Edward Lorn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The character writing is phenomenal. The story is brutal and unsettling and, at times, eerie. It is not only one of the best vampire novels I've read, but one of the best horror novels I've ever come across. Deserves to be shelved with the greats.

Håkan and Eli's reunion is now one of my top five most disturbing scenes in literature. It will be a long time before I get that vile shit out of my head, if I ever do.

In summation: This review is short because I have nothing bad to say about Let the R ...more

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Nov 17, 2017 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, 2017-shelf

Wow. I know this is one of those sensational books coming out of Sweden and all and there's already two movies made which I haven't seen but STILL I hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. And now? Wow.

Seriously creepy. I mean, if it wasn't for the pedophile PoV creeping the freaking hell out of me for a grand swath of the beginning, I'd still have been digging the early eighties references, the crisp and delightful prose (even if translated), and the details of life around Kiss and Rubic' Wow. I know this is one of those sensational books coming out of Sweden and all and there's already two movies made which I haven't seen but STILL I hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. And now? Wow.

Seriously creepy. I mean, if it wasn't for the pedophile PoV creeping the freaking hell out of me for a grand swath of the beginning, I'd still have been digging the early eighties references, the crisp and delightful prose (even if translated), and the details of life around Kiss and Rubic's Cubes. Even better, it captures the life and times of the children very well. Bullying, especially. And then there's a 200-year-old 12-year-old girl who, out of loneliness, courts that pedo until she makes friends with an outcast 12-year-old-boy. Did I mention this is a vampire novel?

It's easily one of the most delightful and disturbing vampire novels I've read and not just for the pedo stuff. It has a very Swedish sensibility and the willingness to go all out with the difficult subjects and do it with fantastically drawn characters that are both flawed, trying, and full of heart. Even the ones we don't like are relatable in some ways.

The novel has the breath of life in it. It's not technically good. It's just plain good.

I've heard others describe this as a much, much better Twilight, but other than the fact that it has children and vampires and it's very popular, that's about it for the comparison. Sure, I could nitpick, but the feel, the subject matter, the crazy divergences in character, the location, the time period... all of that is wildly different. Just saying. :)

I got wrapped up in this tale and rooted for the kids like crazy, too. I can't say that about Bella and Edward. I mean, there was this one scene in Twilight I liked: the one where she gets all bent out of shape because it looks like Eddie thinks she stinks. That was about all I did like tho. But this novel? Well, I consistently got creeped out, got invested with the characters, and loved the level of detail. The story had one hell of a good ending, too. I call this one Superior. :) ...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Shovelmonkey1 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: my sister

Shelves: murder-most-horrid, read-in-2012, fangs-for-the-memories

I finished reading “Let the right one in” last night and immediately started reading a book about some nice people having a nice Catholic life in a nice part of Northern Ireland with a nice summer house and a nice family. It was all very nice. (for those of you who are wondering the nice book is The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin - it’s on the 1001 books list.)

I’ve had this nice book on my shelf for about three years and never bothered to read it till now. So, why now? I can only conclude that s I finished reading “Let the right one in” last night and immediately started reading a book about some nice people having a nice Catholic life in a nice part of Northern Ireland with a nice summer house and a nice family. It was all very nice. (for those of you who are wondering the nice book is The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin - it’s on the 1001 books list.)

I’ve had this nice book on my shelf for about three years and never bothered to read it till now. So, why now? I can only conclude that some inner part of me was secretly yearning for the application of a healing literary salve, to be applied against all the abrasions caused by reading Let the right one in. Plus if anything is sure fire protection against vampires then it has got to be Catholicism, right?

“Let the right one in” is not a summer read. It is not light hearted or joyous or merry. There is no feel good. There is feel bad or feel dead. And then there is the undead feeling you. You will soon realise which is worse.

The two principal characters, Eli and Oskar, are tweenagers (ok one wears a tweenage meat suit but has racked up enough birthdays to ensure a candle covered cake which would look more like a towering inferno), so by all rights this should be YA? YA -no way! Because vampirism generally takes a back seat to predatory adults, the torments of bullying, drug abuse, alcoholism, unemployment and clinical depression. So this is Trainspotting with Vampires? No, because Trainspotting was funny and this is most decidedly not.

Oskar and Eli form the unlikely friendship generated by their outcast status, where their fringe existence will cancel out all the other issues such as eternal life and a murderous blood-lust, which might otherwise act as a barrier. With Eli’s arrival in the community, Oskar’s life and self confidence is much improved. His chances of survival against his bullies actually increases. Sadly the same cannot be said for the rest of walking blood banks and a spate of vicious bungled attacks sends shock waves through the unsuspecting community. On a side note, as alcoholism is the principal diversion within the town, it is frankly a wonder that Eli does not spend most of the book recovering from a monster hangover.

All jokes aside, this book is dark and a bit grubby. It would smell of mould and damp cloth and empty buildings. It probably tastes like rust and decay. It is rotten, but in a good way. Even in the blackest moments, towards the end where violence is heaped on tragedy and tragedy is heaped upon everyone, there is a tiny pin prick of light, and it comes from Oskar because he has developed resilience and you know he might just survive after all.

“Let the right one in” is a book to be read with a lit fire, a blanket and the curtains drawn against cold starry nights and the things that stand outside the window in the dark. The things you cannot see because in your brightly illuminated living room, you see only your own reflection on the inside of the glass. So don’t forget to draw those curtains and only let the right ones in.
...more

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Jan 01, 2014 Joe Valdez rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paranormal-vampires

If I listed the things that scared me most, vampires running around looking for blood wouldn't rate in my top 10. They wouldn't rate in my top 50. That said, John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let the Right One In (translated and distributed in the U.S. as Let Me In) unsettled me in multiple ways. I actually started reading it in 2012, then again in 2013, before finally making it through its house of horrors. And I'm sure glad that I did.

The title is a play on the Morrissey tune "Let the Right One Slip In" If I listed the things that scared me most, vampires running around looking for blood wouldn't rate in my top 10. They wouldn't rate in my top 50. That said, John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let the Right One In (translated and distributed in the U.S. as Let Me In) unsettled me in multiple ways. I actually started reading it in 2012, then again in 2013, before finally making it through its house of horrors. And I'm sure glad that I did.

The title is a play on the Morrissey tune "Let the Right One Slip In", but the story takes place in the winter of 1981 in a suburb outside Stockholm, Sweden called Blackeberg. Let that slip in for a moment. Lindqvist does a marvelous job setting the table in a neighborhood with no past, no future, where even the angles of the apartment buildings seem a little strange somehow.

Oskar is a 12-year-old latchkey kid, raised by a single mother, with no siblings, no friends. He's tormented so relentlessly at school that he has trouble controlling his bladder. He shoplifts, and fills his head with morbid thoughts of taking revenge against his tormentors. While my school experience was nowhere near as hopeless, I related to Oskar's plight much more than I wanted to.

In the dead of night, Oskar receives new neighbors, including a young girl about his own age who gives the name Eli. Meeting in the courtyard playground after dark, Eli talks like an adult, smells like an old bandage, seems impervious to the cold and solves a Rubik's Cube without effort. In no time, a teenager is found murdered in the forest, drained of blood, and Blackeberg's nightmare begins.

Rather than crank out another tired tale of vampires, Lindqvist's narrative is about how we alienate each other and keep even loved ones at arm's length. Much more than the Swedish or U.S. film versions, the novel expands its scope to characters who were mere extras in the movies, or not included at all. Lindqvist has an ability to invest us in even minor characters introduced very quickly, for example, a bachelor driving home from a blind date that's gone very well for him, until he encounters something on a bridge.

This is hardcore horror fiction. There were moments where I thought, "That's as fucked up a thing as any human could experience" only to have something even more dreadful happen next. Pedophilia, skin burns, razorblades, drowning, mean cats and being locked in a dark room freak me out and Lindqvist works them all into the story to maximum effect. There are horrors as potent as anything in Thomas Harris' Red Dragon or The Silence of the Lambs.

Reviewers have cited a somewhat inconsistent and clunky English translation as posing pacing problems, but I was so absorbed in the characters -- particularly Eli, who would tear all of Stephenie Meyer's vampires limb from limb as a mercy killing -- that I barely noticed. My complaint was the last scene, which feels anti-climactic and poses more questions of logic than it answers.

Lindqvist's footing doesn't seem as strong in his final paragraphs, but the rest of the novel is so emotionally visceral that five stars was never a question.
...more

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Oct 08, 2018 Felicia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Google the word atmospheric and this book should be the first result of the search. This story is a full sensory experience transporting you back to 1981 in a cold, gray suburb in Sweden. What is billed as a horror story is less horror and more heartbreak. The sheer terror of this story is brilliantly tempered with the tragic lives of two children, Oskar and Eli, who both find themselves living on the periphery of a life they desperately wish to belong.

"Why can’t I be allowed to live? Because y ...more

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May 24, 2020 Johann (jobis89) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“What he was scared of was not that maybe she was a creature who survived by drinking other people's blood. No, it was that she might push him away.”

John Avjide Lindqvist feels a little bit like the Swedish Stephen King. Bodies drained of blood are showing up in a small town in Sweden. At the same time an unlikely friendship forms between a lonely schoolboy and a young girl who only comes out at night...

Let the Right One In is an incredibly dark book - there’s pedophilia, self-harm, child sexual ...more

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Sep 29, 2016 Christy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: True horror lovers, those who want a REAL vampire story--not a glittered up one

Shelves: favorites, horror, dark-and-disturbing, excellent-writing, a-favorite-read, vampires-like-you-ve-never-seen-em

Wow!!!!!
One of my all time faves, hands down....

Best writing and characterization I've read in a long time! (Not to mention best horror book--ever.) I am in awe of Lindqvist's ability to write, it is impossible for me to enjoy a book without great writing and the translation was so spot on it did not read like one at all.

Sweden, a place I've never been, became real to me without having to put much of my imagination to work. The streets, stores, housing, woods--everything was laid out so well, as Wow!!!!!
One of my all time faves, hands down....

Best writing and characterization I've read in a long time! (Not to mention best horror book--ever.) I am in awe of Lindqvist's ability to write, it is impossible for me to enjoy a book without great writing and the translation was so spot on it did not read like one at all.

Sweden, a place I've never been, became real to me without having to put much of my imagination to work. The streets, stores, housing, woods--everything was laid out so well, as if I was there. And the characters, there were so many of them that I thought I'd be unable to remember them all. Yet, not only could I remember them, they each became very human through his excellent writing. At first I couldn't understand how all these storylines mattered but they came together perfectly, and I was able to follow everything as if I was right alongside each of them, and because they were so real to me it became hard to dislike many of them (except a few-one in particular!) despite all of their flaws. (If you are not a very empathetic person, I can see standing back and judging almost everyone in this book as a bad person--the alcoholics, the jobless, the terribly lost and lonely people, etc. To me that didn't happen one bit...except for the bullies....and the other ONE(view spoiler), because they are human...made so by the amazing writing....it did make me sad for them, but in no way did I find them deserving of my judgement, instead I was hoping strongly for their survival and much better days ahead.)

This was a complex story made simple to read through Lindqvist's superior ability. This is exactly what a vampire book should be.....but it's also so much more.

The story of Eli and Oskar of course took center stage, but the stories of everyone else in the book drew me in as well, especially Oskars mother, and Tommy and his mother. Lacke and Virginia.... The narration throughout the entire book was extremely realistic as well, not once did it feel strained; the conversations were so perfectly written, the way people actually speak; and I could always feel how the characters were feeling. I have found that very rare in books...Lindqvist possesses a magic that is released when you read his words.

There were gross, stomach curdling parts...no one has made me that disgusted by some of the acts committed in years. (This is a book for true horror lovers only!) But, there was also tenderness, a caring for others, and a desire in the reader to see Eli stay "alive"----no matter what had to be done, because we've learned Eli's sad past :(

It is very very late---and I promised to reward myself by watching the Swedish movie version as soon as I was finished, so I will have to return and make a better review....at this moment I don't want the story to end---and I know when the movie is over I'm going to feel lost without Eli and Oskar....I want a sequel (and a long one)!!! How do you move on to another book after this?

Okay...I've watched both versions of the movie (so glad i waited until after the book!) The American one...Sucks. The Swedish one is great--on it's own I would have loved it!....But, like all movies based on books--even excellent ones like this--it leaves far too much out. Make sure to watch the right movie--AFTER reading the book! ... by the way...I'm still grieving my loss of Oskar and Eli...

Finally--the title is from a Morrisey song--as well as a quote at the beginning of this book...love that! It seems he's a huge fan...not only in this book. I hope to find more excellent books by this author, now....and hoping he's working on a big, fat sequel; the smallish sequel in the book Let the Old Dreams Die leaves plenty (tons) of room for onel! ...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Char rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fiction, from-library, vampires, evil-children, audio-book

For some reason, I thought this was a YA tale. Where the hell did I get that from? I purchased it anyway, about 2 years ago, but just haven't had the chance to read it yet. Recently, I saw the audio available at my library, so I downloaded this bad boy and, wow-what fun!

There are thousands of ratings and reviews on this book, plus there's a movie, so what more can I contribute to this conversation? Not that much! I enjoyed the main characters, I enjoyed how the issues dealt with herein-bullying, ...more

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Feb 04, 2018 Sadie Hartmann rated it really liked it · review of another edition

No spoiler review.

I have had this book on my shelf for a few years and I dubbed 2018 as the year I was going to check some boxes that needed to be checked.
This book had been recommended to me countless times-in fact, *every single time* I ever mentioned that I am a huge fan of vampire lit.
So I bought this with huge anticipation and BIG expectations since everyone I respect as a horror reader has rated it 4-5 stars.
My first thoughts are on the writing. For me, this is the first time a translate No spoiler review.

I have had this book on my shelf for a few years and I dubbed 2018 as the year I was going to check some boxes that needed to be checked.
This book had been recommended to me countless times-in fact, *every single time* I ever mentioned that I am a huge fan of vampire lit.
So I bought this with huge anticipation and BIG expectations since everyone I respect as a horror reader has rated it 4-5 stars.
My first thoughts are on the writing. For me, this is the first time a translated book stood out as being obviously translated from its original language. I'm sure there was nothing lost in translation and the writing is fluid and beautiful-I can't quite put my finger on what it was that triggered it but once that switch was flipped, it stayed on-I was very aware of it, somehow.
Also, major props to Lindqvist for great character development-this is clearly his wheelhouse.
Story-wise this is dark, dark, really dark subject matter. At times, I felt like skimming or turning away because Lindqvist doesn't shy away from the graphic, obscene, uncomfortable details that I honestly, don't want to know.
And sometimes I questioned if certain things (pedophilia) was even necessary to the story. I mean, if in the sense it added to the creepiness, then YES-it certainly did but in the sense of adding to the story, I could easily do without it. (and I did skim through one scene, actually-make that two. Just too much for me and also why I docked it a star)
I loved how this book stands totally alone in some ways-for being a part of vampire lore, it borrowed from some typical vampire-ish legends but it also took the genre and flipped it on its head-there is tons of originality here. TONS
The relationship between Eli and Oskar was my favorite part of this tale--also I really enjoyed reading about Virginia and her transformation-that will go down, easily, as the scariest, most realistic vampire transformation I've ever read.
The ending of this book was the best part, 1. Because it's perfect and 2. because I was ready for this to be over--not something I would choose to read again, actually. It's not a feel good story at all.
But, this is a gold standard book for fans of horror and more specifically, fans of vampire lit. If you haven't read it, add it to your short list.
Now to watch the Swedish version of the movie! ...more

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Jun 01, 2016 Graeme Rodaughan rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Pretty much no one.

Shelves: horror, vampires, re-read

Like wrapping a blood-drenched knife in cotton wool, this is a five star novella wrapped in a 2 star novel. There's just way too much unnecessary fluff.

On re-read with the fine folk over at Horror Aficionados it has become clear to me that this is an extremely flawed book.

The core of the story is the relationship between Oskar and Eli, everything else is secondary to that. Unfortunately, subplots relating to Tommy, Lacke, Virginia, Jocke, and especially Hakan litter the pages with distracting st ...more

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Dec 10, 2015 Em Lost In Books rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star, 2000-09, br-with-smitha, translations, 2016, stand-alone-read

the first vampire books that I read were from Twilight books and after that whatever I read of them, I read in PNF genre. Needless to say these vampires were good, sexy, killing evil and saving the damsel in distress. Then three years back I read Fevre Dream, and that shattered the good image of vampires. Vampires were blood thirsty, scary, dangerous and murderers. I liked this version more than the love sick one and now I prefer this version over the PNF. So I was happy when I finished reading ...more

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Mar 28, 2016 Tanu Gill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! This book! Such a thrilling, keeping-you-hooked type of story! Thank you, Kavita, for recommending (your version of recommending anyway :-P) this book to me.

This is such a marvellous piece of writing. The words, the story, the characters... I feel soaked, coated with the amazingness of this work by the author. I feel like if I ever meet the honourable person, I would just bow down in sheer awe...

The secondary characters (and there was a spotlight on a squirrel of all things for a short time ...more

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Jul 22, 2019 Tom Lewis rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2.5 stars. It was well written and atmospheric, but there were too many really really really disturbing things that kept me from giving it a higher rating. I'll give two spoilers below for two of the scenes that I wish someone had warned me about.

SPOILER

A 12-year old castrated boy is strapped to a table and castrated
The same 12-year old boy (now a vampire) is raped by a grown man ...more

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Feb 21, 2019 Ginger rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-read, 2019

4 stars! The last 20% of this book brought up the rating for me. What a finish!! I couldn't quit reading at the end. Fantastic.

This was a creepy and disturbing look into having the main character of a vampire as a kid. I enjoyed this concept and it sure was unpleasant at times.
Eli, our vampire is actually 200 years old but looks 12. And this helps her out when looking for her next meal!
Her friendship aka weird parent/child relationship with Håkan was just wrong, wrong, wrong. And Håkan(view spoi ...more

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Aug 20, 2009 Kasia rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, lovely-covers, abandoned, scared-shitless, horror, scandinavian

It's bumming me out. 50 pages in and I'm giving up. I don't think I can take this much gore any longer. It's disturbing. I need at least one likable character - someone to root for, only then I can take in gore, serial murderers, pedophilia and such. Without somebody to identify with, suffering through one violent description after another is no fun. This was no fun.

And now I'm fighting this urge: I want to crawl in under the table, wrap myself up in a blanket, stuck a thumb into my mouth and r ...more

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May 01, 2018 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, vampires

This is as good as my other favourite vampire story- Fevre Dream by George R Martin. As much as I loved the vampire story, there was much more to this. It is also a story of lonely children, of bullying, of perversion. The setting adds to the sinister atmosphere. What really drew me in was the budding friendship between Eli and Oskar. This is not for the feint hearted. I haven’t seen either of the films although they are meant to be quite creepy. On finishing this I have straight away bought ano ...more

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Oct 03, 2017 Gabrielle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: spooktober-books, movie-fodder, horror, read-in-2017, vampires, own-a-copy, reviewed

I had been meaning to read this book for a very long time and I could never seem to get around to it, but this year, I decided to go on a horror novel spree for October; “Let the Right One In” is the first book I reached for as soon as I made that decision! I had heard plenty of things about it: that it was bleak and gross and deeply unsettling. And holy moo-cow, it is all those things… on crack!

Unless you live under a rock, you are probably aware that it’s set in a lower-middle class suburb in I had been meaning to read this book for a very long time and I could never seem to get around to it, but this year, I decided to go on a horror novel spree for October; “Let the Right One In” is the first book I reached for as soon as I made that decision! I had heard plenty of things about it: that it was bleak and gross and deeply unsettling. And holy moo-cow, it is all those things… on crack!

Unless you live under a rock, you are probably aware that it’s set in a lower-middle class suburb in Sweden, in the early 80’s. The story focuses on Oskar, who is 12, raised by a single-mom, and severely bullied by all the little thugs he goes to school with. The stress he endures is so bad that he is incontinent, sometimes gets spontaneous nosebleeds and he has become fascinated with violent murders, because the only way he can imagine getting rid of the people who make his life miserable is by killing them. Then one night, the young girl who just moved into the apartment next door to his speaks to him on the playground. She’s not really dressed for the cold weather, she is dirty and she stinks, but she is nice to him so her friendship quickly becomes the most important thing in his life.

Everything about this novel will make you feel uncomfortable: the setting is cold, dark, grimy and dirty. There is not a pleasant character anywhere in the 400 or so pages, but Lindqvist write them very cleverly: bad people, neglectful parents, bullies, shitty cops and people with highly illegal sexual urges are all repulsive, but fleshed out just enough so that you don’t hate them. I personally felt sadness and pity for all of them. All these people are in unbearable pain in their own way, their lives are a constant struggle against themselves. And that’s before you even have to deal with the fact that there is a vampire running around their hideous little suburb!

On the subject of the vampire: I hate sexy vampires and romantic vampires and all that garbage, so it’s always fun to read authors who understand that an undead blood-drinking parasite is supposed to be disgusting. Eli might look like a little girl, but when she doesn’t “eat”, she becomes emancipated, her hair streaks with grey and she is eventually unable to mask her true nature. The description of her transformation was perfectly gross and unnerving. Her relationship with her very own Reinfield, Hakan, is an incredibly disturbing mix of cruel emotional manipulation and sexual blackmail; their interactions made me a little nauseated.

But more unnerving than the vampire and the pedophile keeper, was the very realistic descriptions of human misery. Think about it: Oskar’s life actually becomes better after he becomes friends with a vampire? What does that say about his life? What does that say about what it is like to deal with the cruelty of the bullies who chase him around, the absence of a much-needed father (or just a proper parent!) in his world? None of the characters have genuine emotional bonds with each other, everyone is cold and distant, and it ends up costing some of these people their lives. Everyone in this book is an outcast on one level or another, they are all under so much pressure and you feel very early on that it would only take a small spark to fire up the powder keg: Eli is that spark and things escalate really fast, really badly as soon as she becomes a part of their lives.

I read through it very quickly – the English translation is very clean and simple - but it was still completely creeped out, and if I could find a warm, sunny spot to read in, I definitely went for it because this book gave me the shivers. Do not read this in winter, especially if you are prone to SAD! The side- stories, while interesting, sometimes felt superfluous, and some details seem to be there at random and don't really advance the plot. But overall, an excellent horror novel, in which the humans creep me out way more than the supernatural creatures, which is probably why it is as affecting and disturbing as it is. And it must be said that the ending is absolutely perfect. I will now go watch the (Swedish) movie adaptation! ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Letras Macabras: PELI-TERARIAS: Let me in (Matt Reeves, 2010)	10	42	Dec 04, 2020 04:29PM
Suomalainen lukup...: Ystävät hämärän jälkeen (kirja)	7	29	Aug 23, 2020 01:40AM
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Reading List Comp...: Let the Right One In - Review	2	13	Jun 03, 2019 07:39AM
Reading List Comp...: Let The Right One In - The Story	3	11	May 05, 2019 05:35PM
Reading List Comp...: Let the Right One In - General Discussion	10	23	May 02, 2019 06:56PM

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About John Ajvide Lindqvist

John Ajvide Lindqvist

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John Ajvide Lindqvist (John Erik Ajvide Lindqvist) is a Swedish author who grew up in Blackeberg, the setting for Let the Right One In . Wanting to become something awful and fantastic, he first became a conjurer, and then was a stand-up comedian for twelve years. He has also written for Swedish television.

His Let the Right One In was a bestseller in Sweden and was named Best Novel in Trans ...more