Let the Right One In (Swedish: Låt den rätte komma in), also known as Let Me In, is a 2004 vampire fiction novel by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist.
The story centers on the relationship between a 12-year-old boy, Oskar, and a 200-year-old vampire child, Eli. It takes place in Blackeberg, a working class suburb of Stockholm, in the early ’80s. The book focuses on the darker side of humanity, dealing with issues such as bullying, drugs, theft, pedophilia, prostitution and murder as well as the obvious supernatural themes.
The book was a bestseller in the author’s home country of Sweden and has been translated into Danish, German, Russian and English in 2007. A Swedish language film version by the same name, directed by Tomas Alfredson, was released in 2008 to widespread critical acclaim. An English language remake, to be directed by Matt Reeves, is scheduled for release in 2010.
Plot: Oskar is a fragile, 12-year-old boy living in the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg in the early 1980s. He is regularly bullied by his classmates during the day while never striking back, and spends his nights dreaming of revenge, rehearsing knife attacks in the courtyard of his apartment complex. There, he meets Eli, who has recently moved in next door to Oskar with an older man, Håkan. Eli, who appears to be a 12-year-old girl, is pale, only comes out at night, and does not seem affected by the freezing temperatures.
Almost immediately upon Eli and Håkan’s arrival, the latter begins capturing victims with intent to drain their blood for Eli, only to be foiled in every attempt. The last foiled attempt leads him to disfigure his own face with acid to disguise his identity, before he is discovered and taken into custody. Eli who has meanwhile been growing closer to Oskar, giving him the courage to finally attack (and seriously injure) Conny, one of his bullies visits the heavily disfigured Håkan in the hospital where she drinks his blood and drops him out of the window at his request.
Now alone, Eli agrees to “go steady” with Oskar, who eventually attempts to form a blood bond with her by cutting his hand and trying to persuade her to mix her blood with his. Unable to restrain herself, Eli begins to lick Oskar’s spilt blood from the floor and begs him to leave before finally departing herself. Soon after, she attacks and bites Virginia, the girlfriend of Lacke, whose best friend was killed by Eli a few days prior.
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