The Contrarian

Totally not formalized, yet, but I have ideas. A Skype call then a podcast? I dunno.

So I’m finally getting around to reading Let the Right One In, by Swedish novelist John Ajvide Lindqvist. I positively adore the film, and have placed it on my top ten all time “horror” flicks. (Though I am a genre enthusiast, I treat horror cinema like I do heavy metal — so much of it is just atrocious, but the .01 percent that’s worthwhile has made an indelible impact on yours truly.)

I basically just started LTROI, so if any of our readers wants to snag a copy and beat me to the finish line, we can maybe discuss it here. Keep in mind that I typically read ten books at once (almost exclusively nonfiction), so I may fall behind. But I like this story so much that I figured I’d put it out there.

So far, the book version on LTROI is quite bit different than the movie, but in a highly complimentary way. The film centered largely on the spookily endearing relationship between young Oskar and Eli, which had enough implied ambiguity for the audience to fill in the blanks with their own childhood projections. The novel is far more explicit in its theme, which, as far as I can detect at this early stage in my reading, is predation in all forms. Lindqvist’s original work is far less romantic than the film it inspired. for sure. Even Oskar — a character with whom the film wants the audience to identify — is fairly unsavory. It’s this messiness that imbues the book with something more than the Bergman-goes-vampire feel of the flick.

It will be “interesting” to see if the American remake of the Swedish film delves deeper into the book. If they somehow manage to make it not suck, it could be another interesting interpretation of the source material — perhaps more literal than Tomas Alfredson’s chillingly vague take. I am keeping any hopes in check, however, particularly due to the useless title change for the US version, Let Me In. Apparently, they’re setting it in Reagan-era Colodado. I would’ve preffered Bush I-era Schenectady. Just that much fucking bleaker.

Thoughts?