While I was looking for a vampire novel to read for Carl’s RIP event, I discovered that I had John Ajvide Lindqvist’s ‘Let the Right One In’. I had got it a few years back and for some reason had never got around to reading it. I decided that the time had come to redeem that.
‘Let the Right One In’ is a vampire novel. The story is set in 1981 in Sweden. Oskar lives in the suburbs with his mother. His parents are divorced but are on friendly terms. Once in a while he spends the weekend with his father. Oscar is different from his classmates – he keeps to himself most of the time, he likes spending time with puzzles and the Rubik cube and he doesn’t have a lot of friends. He has one or two friends at school, but they are not very close. He has a friend near his home, but this friend is older and is a troubled teenager who takes part in questionable activities. Oskar is picked upon by bullies at school and they frequently make him do unpleasant things. One day Oskar meets a girl in the park next to his building. Her name is Eli. They become friends. They have conversations and Oskar shows her how to play with the Rubik cube. Oskar finds it odd that she doesn’t know about the Rubik cube. He also finds it interesting that she sometimes uses old-fashioned, serious words during their conversation. It turns out that Eli is a vampire. She doesn’t like being one but she is one nevertheless. There is someone else living with her who helps in getting her ‘food’. Meanwhile in the suburbs a serious of gruesome murders take place and the police are investigating them. We, of course, know what is happening. Eli’s partner is killing people and getting food for her. How all these story strands evolve – how Oskar reacts when he finds out that Eli is a vampire and whether their friendship survives that revelation, whether Oskar is able to handle his bullies after befriending Eli, whether the police are able to solve the murder case, what happens to Eli – and are woven together in the end forms the rest of the story.
‘Let the Right One In’ is an unconventional vampire novel when compared to other vampire novels – both classic and recent ones. It is less about a vampire and more about growing up, about friendship and loyalty and love, about mustering courage to face bullies, about how parents with troubled teenage children have to face complex challenges everyday. I liked most of the good characters in the story and disliked the bullies. The relationship between Oskar and his parents, and Tomas (Oscar’s friend) and his mother and his mother’s boyfriend, were portrayed quite well. The love story of Lacke and Virginia was beautiful and heartbreaking. The portrait of 1980s smalltown Sweden was quite detailed and realistic. There was a repulsive scene at the beginning of the book and at that point I asked myself whether I should continue to read the book, because one such scene always leads to another. But I am glad that I persevered.
I loved the character of Eli, though Eli was a vampire. I read a passage in Marlen Haushofer’s ‘The Loft’ sometime back. It went like this :
“Why the idea of natural causes should reassure us, when the things they cause are either evil or painful or senseless or all three, I fail to understand. What is there to be reassured about? A friendly ghost scares us far worse than a horrible live person, and that is absurd. This yearning for natural explanations must spring from our own profound human stupidity.”
That is what I felt when I read Lindqvist’s book. Though Eli is not exactly harmless, she is kind and loyal and nice and intelligent when compared to the human bullies in the book but most of the human characters feel threatened by her while the human bullies go scot-free.
The story started out like a literary vampire novel but after a while the pace picked up and there was more focus on the story rather than on beautiful sentences. The ending was beautiful and perfect. One of the reviews said this about the ending – “the way Lindqvist manages to pull what amounts to a happy ending out of his conjurer’s hat is one of many impressive things about a genuinely remarkable book.” That says it all.
I loved ‘Let The Right One In’ inspite of its flaws. It is a beautiful story of friendship, love and growing up. I would like to read more books by Lindqvist. I would also like to see the movie version. One of my friends said that the English movie version wasn’t that good, while another friend said that the Swedish version was wonderful. I want to watch the Swedish movie version.
I will leave you with two of my favourite passages from the book. They have nothing to do with vampires.
No respect for beauty – that was characteristic of today’s society. The works of the great masters were at most employed as ironic references, or used in advertising. Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, where you see a pair of jeans in place of the spark. The whole point of the picture, at least as he saw it, was that these two monumental bodies each came to an end in two index fingers that almost, but not quite, touched. There was a space between them a millimetre or so wide. And in this space – life. The sculptural size and richness of detail of this picture was simply a frame, a backdrop, to emphasise the crucial void in its centre. The point of emptiness that contained everything.
And in its place a person had superimposed a pair of jeans.
During the four months that they lived together Virginia never managed to figure out what Lacke actually did. He knew something about electrical wiring and put in a dimmer on the lamp in the living room. He knew something about cooking : surprised her several times with well-made fish-based creations. But what did he do?
He sat in the apartment, went for walks, talked to people, read a lot of books and newspapers. That was all. For Virginia, who had worked since she left school, it was an incomprehensible way to live.
‘So Lacke,’ she had asked him, ‘I don’t mean this…but what is it you do? Where do you get your money?’
‘I don’t have any.’
‘But you do have a little money.’
‘This is Sweden. Carry out a chair and put it on the footpath. Sit there in that chair and wait. If you wait long enough someone will come out and give you money. Or take care of you somehow.’
‘Is that how you see me?’
‘Virginia. When you say “Lacke, please leave,” then I’ll leave.’
It had taken a month before she said it. Then he had stuffed his clothes into a bag, his books into another. And left.
Well, the RIP event has ended for the year. I read four books for RIP – two collections of ghost stories, one crime novel and one vampire novel. I enjoyed participating in the event and I enjoyed reading all these wonderful books. I can’t wait for RIP next year.
Have you read ‘Let the Right One In’? What do you think about it? Have you seen the movie version – the Swedish version or the English version?
I haven’t heard of the book or movie versions. I know that I preferred the Swedish version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo over the American one. But I enjoy foreign films more. Will keep an eye out for this one.
Hope you enjoy watching the movie, TBM. I didn’t know that ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ came out as a Swedish movie. That is really interesting! I want to watch that. Thanks for telling me about it
Here’s a link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1132620/
I will warn you, it’s pretty violent.
Thanks TBM. The DVD cover / poster looks very different from that of the English version. European crime thrillers are so different. I will try to get the DVD soon.
I saw the Swedish movie a while back and loved it. It’s a bit depressing but I still loved it. I would probably like the book just as much.
I’m a huge fan of literary vampire novels (and others :)) because I find they give an author the possibilities to explore so much more than just vampires. Death, eternal life, evil …
The Haushofer quote is so true.
You did really well considering this was your first participation in RIP. I love it every time and will partcipate again. I’m just a bit sad I couldn’t finish some of the short story collections I’ve started.
Nice to know that you have seen the Swedish movie version of the book and liked it, Caroline. I want to watch it now. Hope you get to read the book sometime. Literary vampire novels are definitely wonderful. I loved the first part of the book where there were many beautiful passages and contemplative prose. Thanks for inspiring me to join RIP. I really enjoyed the experience and hope to participate again next year. Hope you are able to finish those short story collections that you started.
Well done reading a literary vampire book, sounds like an oxymoron. 🙂 I just read a supernatural romance set in Kerala, which is pretty different for me, might take a while to put my thoughts down about it though, I can tell it comes from a long tradition of storytelling in that genre, hungry lovesick ghosts and all.
It seems appropriate during these few days when everyone is paying their respects to the dead. It is a public holiday today in France because on 1 November they all buy chrysanthemums and visit the graves of their departed. Important for foreigners to know, this is one flower you don’t buy friends and especially not your mother-in-law. 🙂
The first part of the book was quite literary with beautiful contemplative passages, Claire. After that the focus was more on the plot. Interesting to know that you read a supernatural romance novel set in Kerala, recently. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. Kerala is such a beautiful place.
Interesting to know about that holiday in France. Isn’t ‘The Day of the Dead’, a Mexican thing? 🙂 I will keep in my mind what you said about chrysanthemums and keep away from them 🙂
I just recently read a short story that was a different sort of vampire tale, a bit like this one in the food aspect and friendship, too. For that I would love to read it.
Nice to know that you read a similar short story recently, Charlie. Glad to know that you liked it. If you get to read Lindqvist’s book, I would love to hear your thoughts on it.