Book Review: Let the Right One In by John Avjide Lindqvist

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...

“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.”
Let the Right One In is an incredibly dark book - there’s pedophilia, self-harm, child sexual abuse, relentless bullying, murder. The bullying is heartbreaking to read about as is seeing Oskar live such a lonely existence. So when Oskar finds some companionship in Eli, you can’t help but be moved and subsequently root for their friendship.

It’s incredibly atmospheric, set in a working class Swedish suburb, which only adds to how bleak it all feels. I also appreciated how disturbing and violent and graphic it was - weird statement, yes, but when I’m seeking out “good” horror sometimes I just need it to be visceral, I need it to cut right to the bone. The entire Hakan storyline is just fucking insane! Some of the imagery is burned into my brain FOREVER - and for me, that’s a good thing!

One of my favourite parts was when Lindqvist explored the psychological trauma of turning into a vampire. Knowing that something is not quite right within your own body as the lust for blood intensifies. The realisation that you are putting those you love at risk. It’s a terrifying concept, that lack of control, and yet he depicts it all so perfectly.

One of the best vampire novels I’ve ever read. It was exactly what I hoped it would be! 4.5 stars.

Johann
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Comments

  1. Steph // bookplaits19 July 2020 at 10:52

    Sometimes I wonder whether I’d be able to handle the darkness of this if I read it now! I really liked it a few years ago, but I think my tolerance for gore and horror has lowered in recent years, haha. I remember finding parts of this and also Lindqvist’s Little Star (have you read that one?) stomach-churning... 😅

    Glad this was a vampire novel that lived up to the hype for you!

    ReplyDelete

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