John Ajvide Lindqvist's book Let the Right One In is a beautifully horrific story about the friendship between a lonely, bullied boy and a vampire child.
Oskar is a 12-year-old Swedish boy who lives with his mother in a Stockholm suburb in the 1980s. Bullies at school make his life a misery, but then Oskar befriends Eli, the new 'girl' next door.
Let the Right One In embraces the modern vampire tradition that recognizes the monstrosity in human beings while creating sympathy for the vampire by pointing out the victimization that led to its creation in the first place and the true love that the vampire is capable of.
The story's main focus is the intimate relationship that develops between Oskar and Eli, two 'beings' that belong to different species, and who have both experienced suffering at the hands of human beings. Adults are ineffectual when it comes to protecting their loved ones - Oskar's mother tries hard, but never finds out what is happening to her son, and Oskar's father is a drunk. Eli's 'father' is actually a pedophile who tries to provide blood for the vampire child to keep it with him.
At the core of the novel, as the title inspired by the Morrissey song suggests, is the need to let the right person into one's life. Lindqvist's novel goes that extra step further by showing that it is not only the human boy who needs to let someone in. The vampire, too, needs someone it can trust ...
For an insightful appreciation of the film version, go to: http://noeltanti.com/2010/11/03/knock-knock-let-the-right-one-in-2008/ (SPOILERS ALERT)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_Right_One_In (SPOILERS ALERT here, too)
Check out the Morrissey song that inspired the title in this fan video that includes images from the film:
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