One minor nitpick

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pantsonparade
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One minor nitpick

Post by pantsonparade » Thu Sep 13, 2012 2:47 am

I just got my copy today and went straight for the signature title. While reading one certain passage really got on my nerves for really no reason. I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned but here is the passage.
A lunatic in the guise of a vampire killed three children in the old swimming baths—which is now a pre-school—and then abducted Oskar Eriksson.
This completely contradicts what happened in Let The Right One In.
Two youths had been killed there last night. And a third . . . had disappeared.
Other than this minor inconsequential detail I rather enjoyed the story

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Re: One minor nitpick

Post by danielma » Thu Sep 13, 2012 3:25 am

pantsonparade wrote:I just got my copy today and went straight for the signature title. While reading one certain passage really got on my nerves for really no reason. I'm not sure if this has already been mentioned but here is the passage.
A lunatic in the guise of a vampire killed three children in the old swimming baths—which is now a pre-school—and then abducted Oskar Eriksson.
This completely contradicts what happened in Let The Right One In.
Two youths had been killed there last night. And a third . . . had disappeared.
Other than this minor inconsequential detail I rather enjoyed the story
Interesting...I didn't pick up on that...then again, it's been a while since I've read the book. Funnily enough, in the film it is three victims (Conny, his brother, and Martin)...

Good question though for anyone with the Swedish copy...is it two or three victims in the original print? Translation Error or Error on JAL's behalf?

But yeah I didn't pick up on that small error...but you're right, it is an error.
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Re: One minor nitpick

Post by Nightrider » Thu Sep 13, 2012 3:51 am

Perhaps it's a reference to the film version? Seems too huge of an oversight to be just an accident. Must be on purpose....
..or maybe.....
In the book there was quite a few people involved , but I believe there were Micke, Jimmy and Jonny in the pool finale. Eli attacks Jimmy and Jonny after Micke let's her in.
In the end it says "Two youths had been killed there last night. And a third . . . had disappeared."
Could the third one be Micke since after Eli's entrance he isn't mentioned at all...

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Re: One minor nitpick

Post by pantsonparade » Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:02 am

He had even talked to Marie Louise, the class teacher. Had realized the missing boy, Oskar Eriksson, was the same one who had raised his hand and answered his question about heroin three weeks ago. Holmberg remembered him.

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Re: One minor nitpick

Post by Nightrider » Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:12 am

pantsonparade wrote:
He had even talked to Marie Louise, the class teacher. Had realized the missing boy, Oskar Eriksson, was the same one who had raised his hand and answered his question about heroin three weeks ago. Holmberg had remembered him.
Yes I know...Must be a reference to the film then.... :think:
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Re: One minor nitpick

Post by metoo » Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:47 am

It is a reference to the film. There is a Swedish public radio show "Sommar" (Summer), where someone talks for an hour interweaved with music. JAL was once a host, and his manuscript was included in the Swedish version of the LTODD anthology. There he says that in the novel he wasn't able to kill his worst tormentor (Tomas/Martin), but that he was able to fix that in the film script. So I guess that the three kids killed in the film is the way he wanted it, and thus it's the way it is in LTODD, too.

Here's a link to the radio show (without the music, for copyright reasons):
http://sverigesradio.se/laddahem/p1/som ... 060702.mp3
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Re: One minor nitpick

Post by pantsonparade » Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:59 am

Thanks for the clarification. I wish I understood Swedish so I could follow the piece, oh well.

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Re: One minor nitpick

Post by drakkar » Thu Sep 13, 2012 6:08 am

I remember asking editrice about this, and IIRC her diagnosis was "sloppy editor"! :lol:

Agreed with the points about the film version, though. The epilogue was an answer to the films, and it was first written after John had watched LTROI. It is just that when I read a book I tend to think "book" and not "film".
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Re: One minor nitpick

Post by pantsonparade » Thu Sep 13, 2012 9:24 pm

drakkar wrote:Agreed with the points about the film version, though. The epilogue was an answer to the films, and it was first written after John had watched LTROI. It is just that when I read a book I tend to think "book" and not "film".
I agree that the epilogue should have followed the book and not the movie.

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Re: One minor nitpick

Post by Hassildor » Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:29 pm

This is an interesting find. I didn't notice the change, but that may be because the film has influenced my view of Oskar and Eli's story so much.
drakkar wrote:Agreed with the points about the film version, though. The epilogue was an answer to the films, and it was first written after John had watched LTROI. It is just that when I read a book I tend to think "book" and not "film".
This does raise the question of what actually makes up JAL's ideal telling of the story (if such a thing even exists). I assume his screenplay also changed the tub full of blood to one full of blankets.

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