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Content snapshot
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Violence
Very heavy
Extremely graphic violence; murders are depicted in meticulous detail; the violence escalates throughout
Language
A lot
Strong language; Swedish vernacular throughout
Sexual Content
Some
Some disturbing sexual content in subplot involving a pedophile; the vampire's nature involves dark sexual history
Substance Use
Some
Heavy drinking among the adult characters; alcoholism as a secondary theme
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Relentless bleakness; childhood bullying and abuse, profound loneliness, and a child's complicity in murder; a deeply disturbing atmosphere throughout
What this book is about
Oskar, twelve, is bullied daily at his school in 1980s Stockholm and fantasizes about revenge. His new neighbor Eli is strange: she appears only at night, doesn't feel the cold, and smells wrong. Their friendship deepens as a series of gruesome murders occurs nearby. Lindqvist's Swedish horror novel is one of the finest vampire novels ever written—not for its monsters, but for what it reveals about loneliness, complicity, and the ferocity of a child's love. Relentlessly dark and brilliantly observed.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Extremely graphic and detailed violence
A pedophile subplot involving children
Dark sexual history of the vampire
Not for sensitive readers; adults only
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