Book Review – Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

When the film adaptation of this was released in 2008, I remember thinking it was great and that I should read the book. I’ve not revisited the movie since, but did eventually get around to reading the book this year. Late to the party, I know. I’ll watch the movie again soon as I barely remember it aside from one or two scenes. One thing I don’t remember is being uncomfortable watching it, and upon rewatch, I now know how much was left out of the adaptation.

The book features a pedophile whose worst scenes are graphic and, yes, very uncomfortable. Intentionally so. And this was left out of the movie. This character, Håkan, is the adult who helps Eli, the 12 year old vampire trying to survive in an adult world that thrives in sunlight. Håkan’s sole motivation for helping Eli is that he is sexually attracted to him (well, her, as Eli looks like a prepubescent girl and lets people believe it since Eli was castrated as an human child). Like the film, Håkan ends up dumping acid on himself when he is caught in the process of killing someone for Eli and physically becomes the monster within. This transformation is deeply unsettling to read, and that just goes to show what a talent Lindqvist is as a writer. I never once felt sympathy for that character even when he survived his face melting off. Each time I believed him to be dead, I was grateful. Each time I realized he somehow survived, it made my stomach churn.

Anyway, Oskar is the main character here. A boy who gets bullied at school and has a poor relationship with his alcoholic, estranged father. Loneliness is his life. He befriends Eli thinking he is a girl even when she says she isn’t one. This relationship gives Oskar the strength to stand up to his bullies. Even when he puts two and two together and realizes that the serial killer in the area was Håkan and that he was doing it for Eli, their friendship remains close and turns romantic in the way 12 year olds do romance.

The book also concentrates on side characters like a group of middle age friends that include Virginia, her boyfriend Lacke, Jocke, and Gosta who has a bunch of cats and smells like piss. Jocke is killed by Eli and the death is eventually linked to the Håkan string of murders. The book goes into a lot of detail about the murders that the movie skips over so it’s nice to have that context now.

When Håkan is under arrest in the hospital and he can’t kill for Eli, the vampire must fend for herself and attacks Virginia but is interrupted by Lacke. Since Eli was interrupted, Virginia dies not due and begins to turn into a vampire. The description of her infection and transformation is the best I’ve ever read. It’s horrifying and Virginia would rather burn in the sun than survive as a vampire. Lacke is devastated and when the police figure out who Håkan is and post his photo in the news, Lacke eventually remembers seeing Eli with Håkan living in his apartment complex.

There are many characters in that apartment building including Tommy whose mother is dating a police officer. Tommy’s relationship with this new father figure is complicated and the cop also happens to be on the search for Håkan when he escapes the hospital after Eli showed up at his window. Eli drinks his blood but is again interrupted so he doesn’t die, but falls from the window. Now he is brain dead and also vampire alive which means no humanity is left and his only thoughts are to feed and to find and rape Eli whom he was attracted to in life. Eli escapes this attack later, but it’s Tommy who beats Håkan’s senseless body until the cop can arrive to save him.

Both Tommy and Oskar have moments of awful decision making and light literal and figurative fires where they shouldn’t. Boys will be boys seems to be a theme in this novel, and the consequences are dire.

Jonny, a bully Oskar eventually injures when standing up for himself and later burned his belongings out of spite, and his older brother Jimmy go after Oskar in a pool. They attempt drowning him but Eli saves the day in bloody fashion. This is the only scene I remember well from the movie. Oskar and Eli each took turns saving each other in this book so this cements their relationship. Oskar, having never felt at home in his life, ends up being the new person to help Eli as the flee on a train.

This complex, interwoven story is one I had a hard time putting down. Even during the uncomfortable bits. A no point does the author glorify the worst parts of humanity, and that is what makes this such a great read. You, the reader, are meant to feel disturbed. You’re meant to feel uncommonly uncomfortable. Even when Oskar, the character you’re supposed to root for, burns his bully’s belongings, you’re not meant to cheer this behavior. There will be consequences. Morality and love are the themes this book is really about. They are just soaked in blood and imperfect character decisions.

Even for all its discomforting scenes, this book has a lot of heart. Each character is complex in their own way. Early on I wondered why it was so detailed on characters who didn’t seem important, but it all came together so seamlessly that the final hundred pages are some of the most readable horror fiction I think I’ve ever read. Some books stand the test of time. This is one of them.

5 out of 5 stars. Perfect book.