Let the Right One In
SynopsisPlot
It is autumn 1981 when inconceivable horror comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenager is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last―revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day. But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door―a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night. . .
Story
About this book
Set in the autumn of 1981, Let the Right One In takes place in Blackeberg, a residential suburb on the western edge of Stockholm. A teenager's body is discovered drained of blood, and rumors of a ritual killing spread through the neighborhood. Twelve-year-old Oskar, isolated and routinely bullied at school, follows the case with intense interest. His daily life is shaped by the cruelty of his classmates and a quiet, building desire for retaliation.
Oskar's attention shifts when a girl his age moves into the apartment next door. She appears only after dark, seems unfamiliar with ordinary objects like a Rubik's Cube yet solves one instantly, and carries details about herself that do not add up. Their cautious friendship develops against the backdrop of a community unsettled by violence it cannot explain. The novel layers a coming-of-age story with elements of supernatural horror, grounding both in the texture of early-1980s Swedish suburban life.
John Ajvide Lindqvist, who grew up in Blackeberg, wrote the book drawing on the geography and social atmosphere of the place. The novel was first published in Swedish in 2004 and later translated into English. It was adapted into a Swedish film in 2008 and an American remake in 2010.
