Virtual Book Club

[a_contemplative_life]

There was a picture of the murdered boy, taken from the school yearbook. Oskar had never seen him before. He looked like a Jonny or Micke. Maybe there was now an Oskar in the Vallingby school who had been set free.

You have to laugh at this. But...you begin to get a feeling for just what a twisted little boy Oskar has become from the bullying. He can hardly wait to dive into the gory details, and far from being saddened or afraid, he uses the event as a chance to swipe a hunting knife.

[EEA]

Oskar's mom does love him and she is doing the best that she can. It must be difficult for her since people look down on a woman who is divorced. Even in a marriage sometimes a mom has to be everything, has to even be both a dad. I think Oskar's mom is aware of what he is up to but she does not know how to communicate with him. There is Ivonne who is dating Steffan and who is probably afraid of being alone.
It must be really bad for Oskar that he has to continue to have fantasies almost the whole day. Even in his first encounter with Eli he is still day dreaming.
As for Eli I suspect she has been spying on Oskar for a while already, and she finally got a chance to meet this strange boy.

[a_contemplative_life]

Given Oskar's fantasy about being responsible for the murder of the boy, and given how JAL arranged the narrative between what Oskar was doing in the woods with the knife and Hakan's activities, I can't help but wonder whether they were actually in any sort of proximity to one another while they were in the woods. Does anyone understand where these woods are located in real life?

[a_contemplative_life]

The people who like to think about Eli as Oskar's dark half made manifest can, I think, point to the interesting coincidence that Eli just happens to materialize right as Oskar is using his knife against the tree in his courtyard while he fantasizes about murder. It's also cool that he first sees Eli as a reflection on the knife.

I think it would be interesting to know what impressions, if any, Eli had made about Oskar just from watching him through his bedroom window. We know that Oskar didn't hear the door open just before Eli showed up, so there's a fair chance she was outside before they first meet. From that, one can infer that she might have seen him thrusting the knife around in his bedroom. Maybe that piqued her interest...

"I can't be friends with you. Just so you know."
Oskar folded his hands over his chest. He could feel the contours of the knife through his jacket.
"What?"
One corner of the girl's mouth pulled up in a half-smile.
"Do you need a reason? I'm just telling you how it is. So you know."

Why does Eli smile at this juncture? Does she enjoy the thought that she's made Oskar feel a bit defensive?

[gattoparde59]

This pretty much sums up Mom's emotional relationship with Oskar:

"Little sweetheart, you're all I have. Nothing is allowed to happen to you. I would die too."

Is this a selfish kind of love? And whether it is or isn't, can we condemn Oskar's mom very harshly, considering her circumstances and the fact that Oskar is only 12?

In evaluating Oskar's relationship with his mother, is it worth asking why she never remarried, even though she's not very old and over 10 years have passed since she divorced?

I didn't see anything other than a normal parent's fear about losing her child. If Oskar said the same thing about Eli would anyone question his motives? Why did she never re-marry? Easier said than done. Why would she want to re-marry if the first one did not work out.

Interesting that the murder that takes place is compared to the slaughter of pigs. Oskar is also hunted and tormented as "Piggy." A connection there somewhere? In Oskar's first meeting with Eli there is not much evidence of a psychic connection between the two children. Oskar becomes sad, but this seems to be because Eli's body odor reminds him of his dead dog.

Nice evocative description of Eli's reaction to the question about the cold, "like an old woman about to cry." Oskar is reminded of his lost dog Bobbi. Maybe Eli is reminded of something Eli has lost as well?

"He was about to lunge again, but stopped himself. Someone could see him from the outside. It was dark now and the light was on in his room. He looked out but only saw his own reflection in the glass."

Not only is this suggesting the scene in the movie version, but Oskar also senses that he is being stalked by Eli. We find out later that Eli has been watching Oskar. That Oskar looks out and sees his own reflection suggests that Eli is "the dark side" of Oskar. Maybe.

[metoo]

Given Oskar's fantasy about being responsible for the murder of the boy, and given how JAL arranged the narrative between what Oskar was doing in the woods with the knife and Hakan's activities, I can't help but wonder whether they were actually in any sort of proximity to one another while they were in the woods. Does anyone understand where these woods are located in real life?

It's not that close, although the distance isn't greater than it would be possible to walk - just like Oskar's mother says.

[metoo]

[...]Not only is this suggesting the scene in the movie version, but Oskar also senses that he is being stalked by Eli. We find out later that Eli has been watching Oskar. That Oskar looks out and sees his own reflection suggests that Eli is "the dark side" of Oskar. Maybe.

I see no need for a supernatural explanation here - Oskar just realised that while he wasn't able to look out through the window because of the reflections in the glass, people outside might very well be able to look in. As apparently Eli did.

[a_contemplative_life]

Interesting that the murder that takes place is compared to the slaughter of pigs. Oskar is also hunted and tormented as "Piggy." A connection there somewhere?

Hadn't thought of that

[gattoparde59]

[...]Not only is this suggesting the scene in the movie version, but Oskar also senses that he is being stalked by Eli. We find out later that Eli has been watching Oskar. That Oskar looks out and sees his own reflection suggests that Eli is "the dark side" of Oskar. Maybe.

I see no need for a supernatural explanation here - Oskar just realised that while he wasn't able to look out through the window because of the reflections in the glass, people outside might very well be able to look in. As apparently Eli did.

Not to suggest supernatural so much as psychological in the same way that Eli appears in Oskar's knife blade.

To quote a_c_l

The people who like to think about Eli as Oskar's dark half made manifest can

Also again Oskar's "dark side" is a very private secret. He worries about someone discovering his violent fantasy, which is exactly what Eli does when he finds him stabbing the tree.

[EEA]

Probably Eli has seen Oskar before since she arrived on November 18. And she didn't took much notice of him until their first strange encounter.