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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let the Right One In is a novel of rare emotional intensity. Beneath its chilling horror lies, above all, the story of two lonely souls who find and recognize each other.
Eli, condemned to live as a predator and rejected for two centuries, has never had a true friend. To survive, Eli must accept unimaginable things, including living under the control of a pedophile, with all the violence that entails. It’s impossible to truly condemn Eli for the horror surrounding him ; he has been forced to live this way, and there is something deeply unjust about a child being condemned to survive like this.
Oskar’s life is no less harrowing. Bullied and completely alone, he dreams of nothing but finding the courage to kill those who torment him. For a child to reach that point… it’s pure horror in itself.
In many ways, Oskar and Eli are mirrors of one another: Oskar endures a visible, brutal rejection, mocked and beaten at school until violence becomes his only imagined escape. Eli lives with an invisible rejection, trapped by a vampiric condition that has isolated him for centuries and forced him into the care of a predator. One is trapped by human cruelty, the other by a biological curse ; but both share the same solitude and injustice.
Their meeting changes everything: for the first time, someone accepts them exactly as they are, without fear or judgment. This bond, stronger than fear or death, culminates in a heartbreaking ending: each is willing to risk their life to save the other. Eli, who could have fled, returns to protect Oskar; Oskar, knowing exactly what life alongside Eli will mean, chooses to go with him anyway.
It’s a profoundly heartrending work, where the beauty of friendship stands in stark contrast to the darkness of the world. Where other childhood bonds fade over time (It, for example), this one is anchored outside of time, unbreakable.
A novel that lingers long after it’s finished. Not only for its horrific imagery, but above all for the fragile light it manages to create at the heart of darkness.
Eli, condemned to live as a predator and rejected for two centuries, has never had a true friend. To survive, Eli must accept unimaginable things, including living under the control of a pedophile, with all the violence that entails. It’s impossible to truly condemn Eli for the horror surrounding him ; he has been forced to live this way, and there is something deeply unjust about a child being condemned to survive like this.
Oskar’s life is no less harrowing. Bullied and completely alone, he dreams of nothing but finding the courage to kill those who torment him. For a child to reach that point… it’s pure horror in itself.
In many ways, Oskar and Eli are mirrors of one another: Oskar endures a visible, brutal rejection, mocked and beaten at school until violence becomes his only imagined escape. Eli lives with an invisible rejection, trapped by a vampiric condition that has isolated him for centuries and forced him into the care of a predator. One is trapped by human cruelty, the other by a biological curse ; but both share the same solitude and injustice.
Their meeting changes everything: for the first time, someone accepts them exactly as they are, without fear or judgment. This bond, stronger than fear or death, culminates in a heartbreaking ending: each is willing to risk their life to save the other. Eli, who could have fled, returns to protect Oskar; Oskar, knowing exactly what life alongside Eli will mean, chooses to go with him anyway.
It’s a profoundly heartrending work, where the beauty of friendship stands in stark contrast to the darkness of the world. Where other childhood bonds fade over time (It, for example), this one is anchored outside of time, unbreakable.
A novel that lingers long after it’s finished. Not only for its horrific imagery, but above all for the fragile light it manages to create at the heart of darkness.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a bit too slow for me, I'm not patient enough.
Terrifying and upsetting but both in a very good way.
This was a decent book. Definitely way longer than it needed to be but still entertaining. Really graphic so be warned if that's not your thing.
