472 pages
2004
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Source: My collection
Description: Twelve-year-old Oskar is obsessed by the murder that's taken place in his neighborhood. Then he meets the new girl from next door. She's a bit weird, though. And she only comes out at night... (from the back cover)
Review: This is one of the few books that I'm glad I saw the movie of first. I really liked the movie, but there's a lot of things in the book, that didn't make the cut, that flesh out some of the characters more and make certain actions make more sense.
I certainly found myself caring more about Virginia and Lacke and their fates in the book than I did in the movie, since I got to know them much better. I also found the climax made more sense. It was still a massive overreaction, but it made more sense why the characters would be motivated to make that jump.
The book, by itself, is an excellent example of modern horror. Blending the gory material with realistic character motivations. It also deals with serious real world topics such as pedophilia and bullying against the backdrop of a vampire novel, without downplaying them as less horrific than a blood drinking monster.
I'd highly recommend this book, but there are parts that require a bit of a strong stomach, especially if you really like cats.
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