Let Him In by William Friend (2023)

Let Him In by William Friend (2023)

Laura’s Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Plot: Twin girls tell their recently widowed father Alfie that there’s a man in their room. After checking their room, Alfie assumes it’s a nightmare. But soon the girls have an imaginary friend. One who seems more and more real by the day, as well as more sinister.

Opinion: In some ways, the book feels gothic, with a sinister presence lurking around a house with history. There’s also palpable grief and family history haunting the characters, similar to The Babadook or The Haunting of Hill House.

The book is a slow burn, peeling back layer after layer of information. There’s a lot of clues, including red herrings, as to what might be going on. It feels like one of the characters has all the answers but won’t reveal them, which is annoying. Suspense built by keeping your readers in the dark while a character is fully informed the whole time doesn’t feel satisfying once things are revealed. 

There were some scary parts where I was genuinely unsettled, but they were few and far between. I was invested in finding the answers, but ultimately I thought Let Him In was just okay.