Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Blood, murder, rape, transgender issues and vampires... must be the Christmas Book Club pick!  Yes, this year, we decided to keep up our annual tradition of being non-traditional and chose Let The Right One In, an English  translation of the original Swedish novel, which has gone on to win lauds and praises as a movie, both in English and Swedish. 

What can I tell you that the back of the book won't?  Well, BOB says it's chilling, a classic tale of horror, a roaring good story it has vampires at their best.  All true.  What I liked about it though were the not-so-obvious shocks to the system.  Oskar and his hellish existence at school, the drunken wastrels of the Chinese restaurant, the drugs, the booze and the copious amounts of blood.  This was not an easy book to read, not by a long shot.  Much harder to read at night with nothing but the humidifier to keep me company.  I actually had to put it down forcibly, often feeling a little ill in the stomach.  Lindqvist's (and his translator's) gift for description was often a little too good.  Like a horribly bloody car wreck, I couldn't help but crane my neck for a closer view of the gore and then shudder when I caught a glimpse of it.

Should you read it?  Yes.  Will it make you uncomfortable?  Most definitely.  Will you regret it?  i don't think so.