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A review by michaeljohnhalseartistry
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
4.0
My first book of 2016. The novel is Let Me In, by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist. One of my goals for 2016 is to read more. I only read four books last year - Range of Ghosts, Dorian Gray (which has since become one of my FAVOURITE novels), Heart of Darkness, and The Redwood Rebel (a novel from one of the writers I follow on here) and that’s it . A pitiful amount of reading, but in my defence, I was re-reading and editing my own novel, The Children of Gods and Monsters, over and over and over again.
So for 2016, aside from writing book two of The Children of Gods and Monsters, and all the fine art photography projects I’m embarking on, I wanted to read more.
I first came across Let Me In after seeing the movie and absolutely loving it. I thought the story was interesting and deep, and almost philosophical. For those who aren’t familiar with the book, it’s a sort of… love story, sort of, between a child vampire and a boy who had a fascination with serial killers and is constantly bullied at school. It deals with very heavy issues, including alcoholism, fatherlessness, social isolation, existential anxiety, pedophilia and murder. I won’t give anything away, but I will say it was an exceptional read.
One of the reasons I loved it so much, was the atmosphere it created. There’s a heavy sense of dread and apathy that hangs off the words and impacts itself onto the reader, and I found that it really enhanced the story and the events within the novel. Every character lives with this weight that affects them and keeps them from being completely joyful, it’s like this sense that something sinister is lurking behind them, and even you, the reader. It even put me on edge, and I’ve never had a novel do that for me. I was tense throughout the whole book, and it made me jump at the littlest sounds… and I was just so impressed that these words could evoke such feelings within me.
Originally written in 2004 in Swedish and titled Let The Right One In, it had since been translated into a number of different languages, English included. One of the things that’s prominent throughout the English book is the use of … when things don’t quite translate over. You can find the dots in dialogue and almost on every page. And even though it was because of a clash of language, I think it almost aided in the reading experience. You do get heavy emotions when reading the book, and the dots sort of let you fill in the emotions and responses you’re having, and impart them on the characters. So while they might have been unintentional, I think they work really well to enhance that feeling of apathetic dread that’s prominent throughout the work.
All that being said, I’m not sure I would recommend it to most people, at least, most of the people I know personally. The contents and subject matter are very heavy, and at times can be somewhat disturbing. It’s definitely a dark book, which is something I’ve always been drawn too, but it might be too dark for some people. Nevertheless, it’s an exceptional piece, and completely well done.
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FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, PHOTOS, AND MY OWN NOVEL SERIES, CHECK OUT MY BLOG:
www.michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
So for 2016, aside from writing book two of The Children of Gods and Monsters, and all the fine art photography projects I’m embarking on, I wanted to read more.
I first came across Let Me In after seeing the movie and absolutely loving it. I thought the story was interesting and deep, and almost philosophical. For those who aren’t familiar with the book, it’s a sort of… love story, sort of, between a child vampire and a boy who had a fascination with serial killers and is constantly bullied at school. It deals with very heavy issues, including alcoholism, fatherlessness, social isolation, existential anxiety, pedophilia and murder. I won’t give anything away, but I will say it was an exceptional read.
One of the reasons I loved it so much, was the atmosphere it created. There’s a heavy sense of dread and apathy that hangs off the words and impacts itself onto the reader, and I found that it really enhanced the story and the events within the novel. Every character lives with this weight that affects them and keeps them from being completely joyful, it’s like this sense that something sinister is lurking behind them, and even you, the reader. It even put me on edge, and I’ve never had a novel do that for me. I was tense throughout the whole book, and it made me jump at the littlest sounds… and I was just so impressed that these words could evoke such feelings within me.
Originally written in 2004 in Swedish and titled Let The Right One In, it had since been translated into a number of different languages, English included. One of the things that’s prominent throughout the English book is the use of … when things don’t quite translate over. You can find the dots in dialogue and almost on every page. And even though it was because of a clash of language, I think it almost aided in the reading experience. You do get heavy emotions when reading the book, and the dots sort of let you fill in the emotions and responses you’re having, and impart them on the characters. So while they might have been unintentional, I think they work really well to enhance that feeling of apathetic dread that’s prominent throughout the work.
All that being said, I’m not sure I would recommend it to most people, at least, most of the people I know personally. The contents and subject matter are very heavy, and at times can be somewhat disturbing. It’s definitely a dark book, which is something I’ve always been drawn too, but it might be too dark for some people. Nevertheless, it’s an exceptional piece, and completely well done.
---
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, PHOTOS, AND MY OWN NOVEL SERIES, CHECK OUT MY BLOG:
www.michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse