Translated by Ebba Segeberg, Let the Right One In (2004) is an international bestselling work of horror fiction by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. The chilling novel centers around a bullied 12-year-old named Oskar who befriends the strange new kid in the neighborhood, Eli. As Eli and Oskar’s relationship grows, the town of Blackeberg experiences a rise in recent deaths. When Oskar realizes that Eli is a vampire, Oskar must decide if Eli is to blame. Let the Right One In became a major motion picture in 2008 and swept a number of honors and awards on the motion picture circuit, including top awards from the Swedish Film Institute and the Tribeca Film Festival.

This study guide uses the 2004 Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press edition.

Plot Summary

Oskar is a sensitive preteen who suffers bullying at school from Jonny, Micke, and Tomas. Oskar lives with his mother in Blackeberg, a suburb of Stockholm. One of Oskar’s favorite pastimes is stabbing trees in the forest and pretending the trees are his bullies. While stabbing a tree one night, he sees a girl’s reflection in the knife blade. This event sets the course for the novel. Oskar meets Eli, his next-door neighbor. Eli is unkempt, and despite the freezing cold, only wears a pink sweater. During another encounter, Oskar lets Eli play with his Rubik’s Cube, but when Eli’s smell hits his nose, Oskar wants to vomit. With each meeting, Eli strikes Oskar as weird and different. Yet Oskar longs for a friend, and as their relationship grows, Oskar finds himself changing into a more positive person. His affection for Eli increases, and he finds the strength to stand up to his bullies.

Meanwhile, a pedophile named Håkan whom Eli employs begins killing to secure blood for Eli. Håkan is a broken man, but he serves Eli in the hopes of sexual reward. Håkan, however, takes no pleasure in killing. He tells Eli this one night, and Eli, still weak, must kill for blood. Eli initially decides to kill Oskar, but when Eli tries to bite him, Oskar strokes Eli’s cheek (without noticing the fangs). Confused, Eli leaves and finds a drunk named Jocke to kill. This murder adds another side story to the narrative, as Jocke’s friends, including Lacke, Virginia, Morgan, and Larry, attempt to determine what happened to Jocke. Håkan decides to kill one last time for Eli, but is caught and pours concentrated acid over himself. He intends to die, but the acid doesn’t kill him. He’s then apprehended by police.

As Oskar and Eli’s relationship turns romantic, Eli drops hints about gender (Oskar thinks Eli is female). These hints confuse Oskar, but Oskar accepts them. Oskar also stands up to his bullies more, and in one major scene, fends them off. When Jonny, Micke, and Tomas try to push Oskar into freezing water, Oskar strikes Jonny hard. At the same time, Jocke’s frozen body surfaces under ice on the lake. Soon, the police wonder if Håkan is helping someone. Amid the speculation, Oskar realizes that Eli is a vampire and determines not to be friends.

Later, Oskar has a change of heart and rushes from his father’s house back to Blackeberg. Meanwhile, Eli visits Håkan and bites him at his request. Eli also bites Virginia in another attack. Virginia transitions into a vampire, while Håkan becomes a zombie. When Eli and Oskar reconcile, Oskar sees that Eli has no genitals, though Eli used to have a penis [note: The narrative switches at this point from calling Eli a “she” to a “he”]. Oskar and Eli wade through the tension in their relationship, while a zombified Håkan seeks out Eli. Elsewhere, Virginia kills herself by exposing herself to sunlight. Lacke later attempts to kill Eli but dies.

When Håkan tries to rape Eli near the narrative’s end, Eli blinds Håkan and flees. Tommy, an older child stuck in the basement during the fight, faces his own trauma while fighting Håkan. Later, Oskar strikes back at his bullies one night by burning their prized possessions. They try to gouge out his eye, but Eli swoops in, decapitates them, and flees with Oskar.

Let the Right One In addresses bullying, gender, sexual identity, trauma, love, friendship, and broken families. Themes like good versus evil, the effects of trauma, and gender nonconformity also permeate the narrative.