Review: Let the Right One In
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4 stars. Let the Right One In, a Swedish book I read in translation, is a story about a vampire. It takes place in a suburban town plagued by a series of violent murders. We meet curious young children, troubled adolescents, and cynical middle-aged alcoholics as they process and react to the horror and pain of loss and tragedy.
It's almost a coming-of-age book for everyone, regardless of age. The identity of the monster is never in doubt, so it isn't a traditional mystery, but there is plenty of horror from vampires and humans alike. It's an interesting, unique take on vampire fiction reminiscent of Octavia Butler's Fledgling. And it's gorgeous. It's an atmospheric fairy tale full of lore and lessons.
And it's a story about love. Many different types of love.
The first type of love: pure, innocent love. 12-year-old Oskar, bullied and beaten and eager for revenge, finds a true friend in Eli. It is an honest, chaste, legitimate type of love that, when returned, truly elevates his sense of self-worth, his agency - his identity - in an incredibly powerful way.
The second type of love: love driven by lust, obsession, greed, power. Wrong. This is the type of love manifested by Hakan. The wrongness of his love is reflected, almost too literally, by his physical appearance towards the end of the novel. He becomes, essentially, a walking, destructive, immortal penis. Yikes.
The third type of love: a cynical, wise love no less strong but based on companionship. Lacke and Virginia embody this type of love. These folks, who have been through it all, seen hardship, fought life itself, have somehow found warmth in each other. And it's beautiful.
I was actually in the mood for something much darker than this turned out, but I'm not mad about it. The characterization is incredible - even the minor appearances are more than plot devices. It lent to the book's distinctly suburban feel, a sort of small town-big problems vibe with a lot of blood thrown in.
I suppose this ended up being a sort of weird review, but the truth is I really recommend Let the Right One In. I know it came out when everyone was all-Twilight-all-the-time (sigh), so, while often stated as BETTER than that shit, most people know it as the vampire book that isn't Twilight. Read it, though, because it's interesting, and it's canon.