L = Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist
This is probably one of my all-time favorite authors and that can be a real pain in the butt as his books are published in Sweden and can be hard to find in English. And since he is one of my favorites, I feel both comfortable, and probably biased, saying that JAL has written another page turner. I also will also say it is, hands down, one of the scariest novels I've ever read.
When Theres was a baby, someone tried to bury her alive. A couple of has-been musicians find her and try to raise her in secret as their musical prodigy but discover something not quite right with the girl. She is developmentally behind and prone to violent outbursts. Teresa, a girl with no imagination and no friends, suffering from depression, is looking for her place in a world that terrifies her. Theres offers Teresa friendship and Teresa can't resist.
The thing that makes Lindqvist's novels so scary is that his villains are relatable; he makes you love them, sympathize with them. He writes horror that isn't horrifying because the of the number of monsters and murders, but because his villains present emotional/intellectual questions in frightening new ways. Nurture vs. Nature: both girls with vastly different home lives grow into predators. So what is it that makes a monster? Are some people just born broken, or are they products of their environments? Loyalties: How strong can a friendship be when only one person emotes? Teresa loves Theres, is loyal to her, but how much does Theres actually feel in return? And does it matter? If you've ever been in a one-sided relationship and had to ask yourself how far you'll go for that someone who almost, but not quite, feels the same...
JAL creates a haunting relationship based on the need for purpose and power. Enter a world where there is no such thing as innocence and the only thing more dangerous than two emotionally disturbed girls is a pack of them.
I haven't found a Scandinavian author I've liked yet - I haven't read many so I'll keep dabbling in it. I think my book club is reading a book by a Swedish or Finnish author this year.
ReplyDeleteHis first book Let the Right One in is probably his best, but i know you don't like horror and thats the only thing he writes. hes been compared to Stephen King but honestly i don't see it.
DeleteI read my first Stephen King book last year. We read Cell but I didn't really like it.
Deletethat's interesting. thanks for visiting my blog
ReplyDeleteI'd really like to give this a try, but I'm not very good at getting the wit scared out of me. I usually avoid horror. I can read a terrifying serial killer story, as long as there's not extremely graphic descriptions of chopping up bodies and things like that. I'm not sure what it is that classifies this novel you've reviewed is a horror novel, because I can handle extremely dysfunctional characters, and even evil characters but only to an extent. I'll have to give this thought. Maybe I'll ask my daughter. She reached for, and she probably like this one, and then she can let me know if it's one that will make me keep the lights on for a month. She knows where my cut off line is. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis book scared the beejeezus out of me. Dysfunctional characters is the only thing JAL writes and they get violent toward the end in this book. I got into horror a bit because when i get burnt out from fantasy and sci-fi, horror tends to have supernatural/paranormal type themes just presented in a different way... But theres no supernatural explanation for the horror in this book and i think thats the scariest part.
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