Let the Right One In
John Ajvide Lindqvist
2.75*
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist is the story of Oskar, a 12 year-old boy who is mercilessly bullied by his schoolmates. When a young girl named Eli moves in next door to Oskar, they become fast friends. However, her appearance sets off a frightening chain of events that forever changes the lives of Oskar and several others.
Personally, I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of horror. In fact, I've only read one Stephen King novel (Misery) in my life, and I NEVER watch horror flicks, because I am the biggest chicken when it comes to that stuff. However, I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and read Let the Right One In. I think I was lured mostly by the promise of vampires, thinking that they would resemble the sexy, intense Edward Cullen of the Twilight series, or the refined and tragic character of Louis in Interview with the Vampire. Suffice it to say that the vampire in this book resembled neither.
Overall, I felt that the plot and the writing were fast-paced and intriguiging, but there were several things about this story that just didn't sit well with me. The first and foremost thing that put me off about this book was the character Hakan, who lusts after young boys when he's not killing people to feed Eli's thirst for blood. As a mother, I have a difficult time reading about perverts and pedophiles. Another reason that I didn't care for this book is because it contained several gruesome descriptions that made me feel ill, even though I should have expected as much being that this is a horror novel. Definitely not a book to read when you're eating - eww!
Let the Right One In was not my cup of tea, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes scary stories and has a strong stomach.
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