Book Review: Let The Right One In

I heard about the, Swedish made, movie adaptation of this book from a friend.  I didn't know until later that it was a book.  I've known for awhile, but never got around to getting a copy.  I thought about it a few weeks ago and figured I better get it before I forgot again.  The book was originally in Swedish and lucky us, they translated it into English. 

This is a book for those of you who like vampire lore.  It doesn't follow all the legends about vampires but for the most part it does.  It's the story of a boy name Oskar, who is bullied at school and it just awkward all around.  His dream would be to rid the world of all those evil people who make his life horrible.  So much so that he acts out his plans on innocent tree trunks.  LOL!  During one of these moments he notices that someone is watching him.  He turns to see a young girl about his age.  There is something strange about her and he doesn't really know what it is.  She moved into the same building as him with a man, who Oskar assumes is her father. Oskar and Eli (the girl) slowly become friends, only meeting after dark.  In the midst of this, there are a bunch of strange murders that occur.  Oskar doesn't connect any of them to Eli or the man she is living with.  Things begin to happen while they are together and Oskar starts to connect the dots, to discover what she really is.  He is torn.  He is afraid of her, but he likes her too...  She helps him to gain courage to stand up to the people who are bullying him and he learns more about her than he really wanted to know. 

I liked the book.  It has to do with vampires and murderers, and even a zombie, so it's pretty graphic.  It's also very touching to watch the friendship grow between an awkward boy and an equally outcast girl.