A thought provoking horror book? How weird is that? (Let the Right One in - John Ajvide Lindqvist)

Member Name: fredam

Product:	Let the Right One in - John Ajvide Lindqvist
Date:	10/07/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One of the best reads in a long time

Disadvantages: none, really

The back of the book says:

"Twelve year old Oskar is an outsider, bullied at school, dreaming about his absentee father, bored with life on a dreary houseing estate. One evening he meets the mysterious Eli. As a romance blossoms between them, Oskar discovers Eli's dark secret - she is a 200 year old vampire, forever frozen in childhood and condemned to live on a diet of fresh blood..."

I write the back of the book as nothing is worse than when someone gives the plot away! lol

An avid reader of horror, suspense, and thriller novels, eventually they all seem very much of a muchness. However, this book was the best I have read in a very long time.

Whether it is the fact that it is set in Sweden, written by a Swedish author, which could make it a bit more colourful, or just the fact he is an excellent author - it is hard to pin down. The narrative is beautiful - descriptive, suspenseful. Although it is not a short book, it doesn't drag. When you think about it, it would be very hard to write a book from the perspective of a 12 year old child (though there were perspectives of adults) and maintain a sense of innocence which doesn't seem false. It is a love story - many different love stories (most of them tragic) without becoming a tear-jerker. It is a labyrinth of....who really is the bad guy? Thought provoking as one can see the points of view of everyone - adult, child, baddy, goody...all the shades of grey.

An excellent read!

Summary: a very unusual story - absolutely brilliant