Let the Right One In (novel)

For the 2008 film of the novel, see Let the Right One In (film).

Let the Right One In (Swedish: Låt den rätte komma in)

Swedish book cover
Author	John Ajvide Lindqvist
Translator	Ebba Segerberg
Country	Sweden
Language	Swedish
Genre	Horror
Publisher	St. Martin's Griffin
Published in English	2008-10-28
Pages	480
ISBN	0312355297

Let the Right One In (Swedish: Låt den rätte komma in), also known as Let Me In, is a 2004 vampire fiction novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist. The story centers on the relationship between a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and a centuries-old vampire child, Eli. It takes place in Blackeberg, a working class suburb of Stockholm, in the early 1980s. The book focuses on the darker side of humanity, dealing with issues such as bullying, drugs, theft, pedophilia, prostitution and murder as well as the obvious supernatural themes.

The book was a bestseller in the author's home country of Sweden and has been translated into Danish, German, Russian, English and Chinese in 2007 and Finnish in 2008. It has also been translated into Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Norwegian. A Swedish-language film version by the same name, directed by Tomas Alfredson, was released in 2008 to widespread critical acclaim. An English-language remake, to be directed by Matt Reeves, is scheduled for release in 2010.

Synopsis

Oskar is a 12-year-old-boy who is being bullied at school. He lives with his mother, who is loving and with whom he initially seems to have a good connection. His father is an alcoholic who lives out in the countryside. Oskar seems intelligent, has morbid interests including crime and forensics and keeps a scrap book filled with newspaper cuttings about murders. He befriends who he thinks is a new girl who moved in next door - Eli. Eli lives with an older man Håkan, a former teacher who was fired and became a homeless vagrant when he was discovered to be a pedophile. Eli is revealed to be a vampire, but the two children develop a close relationship and Eli helps Oskar fight back against his tormentors. Throughout the book their relationship gradually becomes closer and they reveal more of themselves and in particular Eli's lengthy history.

Håkan serves Eli, whom he loves, by procurring blood from the living, fighting against his conscience and choosing victims who he can physically trap, but who aren't too young. Eli gives him money for doing this, though Håkan makes it clear he would do it for nothing if Eli allowed them to be physically intimate. Eli keeps the money in several boxes, along with a variety of different puzzles. These, apart from a few items of clothing and food, are all that fill the apartment. After several failures to acquire enough blood for Eli, Håkan offers to go out one last time if they can spend the night together. With the caveat that he may only touch Eli, they agree, but it is stipulated that Håkan must get the blood first.

Håkan's attempt to get blood from the last victim fails, and he purposefully disfigures himself with acid to avoid police tracing Eli through him. When Eli finds Håkan in the hospital, he offers his own blood and is drunk dry while sitting on the window ledge. A guard interrupts them and Eli fails to kill him (so that he won't end up becoming a vampire such as he) before Håkan throws himself out of the window, bursting upon the ground below. The fall kills him, but he is later resurrected as a vampire himself, though one that is mindless and seeks only to find Eli. Eli is trapped briefly in a basement, but manages to escape. Håkan is later beaten to death. Meanwhile Lacke suspects a child is responsible for the murder of his best friend, Jocke (whom Eli murdered for blood before snapping his neck). Later, he sees Eli as a small, shapeless creature who lunges from the trees atop his sometimes girlfriend, Virginia. Eli attempts to drink her blood, but is interrupted by Lacke's interference. Virginia succombs to vampirism, but does not realize her "infection" until after she attempts to prolong her life by drinking her own blood and avoiding the sun, which turns her skin into boils upon exposure. In the hospital Virginia deliberately exposes herself to daylight and bursts into flames.

After Oskar fights back and injures his main tormentor, the boy's older brother hunts down and attempts to maim him in revenge. Eli rescues Oskar, and the two flee the city with the remaining money, puzzles and each other.

Title

The title refers to the Morrissey song "Let the Right One Slip In" (featured on the Viva Hate special edition album) but also to the aspect of vampire folklore which says that vampires cannot enter a house unless invited.

The American version is called Let Me In because the publishers requested that Lindqvist change the title as they believed it was too long. A paperback with the original title was later released to promote the film.

Bibliography (English translations)

• John Ajvide Lindqvist: Let the Right One In: London: Quercus: 2007: ISBN 1847241697
• US Edition: Let The Right One In: New York: Thomas Dunne Books: 2007: ISBN 0312355289
• Australian Edition: Melbourne: Text: 2007: ISBN 9781921145711

Trivia

• The music video for "The Sadness Will Never End" by the deathcore band Bring Me The Horizon is loosely based on this book.

External links

• Let the Right One In at the Internet Movie Database
• Let the Right One In at SFcrowsnest.com