How did Eli know where Oskar is?

[Lacenaire]

There is something that has been puzzling me ever since I saw the film (last summer, during a Virgin Atlantic flight). I wonder if anyone has any good solutions and in particular if the book gives any indication of what the right answer might be (I actually read the book, more or less by accident, when it first appeared in Britain several years ago, but I did not like it then and forgot it so completely than when I saw the film I did not even connect the two together. I plan to re-read it but at this time my copy and I are on different continents ). The question is: how does Eli know that Oskar is in grave danger and that he is at the swimming pool, so that she can arrive to rescue him just in time?
I have two hypotheses myself a “natural” and a “supernatural” one (I exclude pure chance - if this sort of thing could happen by chance anything could). The “natural” hypothesis is that when Eli moves out after the killing of Lacke she has no intention of leaving Oskar and is worried about him, so she keeps tracking his movements. Perhaps she uses her contacts at Oskar’s school to do so (one might even speculate that the little boy she leaves alive in the swimming pool scene was one of them). She of course knows how to make use of her money, so that could also be a means to this end.
The other hypothesis is “supernatural”. I remember that in the book when they kiss Eli passes to Oskar her memory. Perhaps she also get’s something back in return, without Oskar even knowing about it - like the ability to know his state of mind and to find where he is. I admit this is pretty far fetched but not that far if one considers some of the other things that happen.

[NaKriege]

My interpretation: sometime rather soon after leaving Eli realizes "Hey you know what, I really don't think I wanna live without Oskar. I think I'll go back and see if a way to make this work can be found." Once she does this she starts looking for Oskar at his usual haunts, the swimming pool being somewhere she knows he hangs out and has met him before is probably the second place she checks after the first natural choice of his house. When she arrives the unpleasantness is in progress.

[gary13136]

It's sort of difficult to say. But having read the book, I have an opinion. One of the things that isn't shown in the movie, but is in the book. After she has killed Lacke, she and Oskar, or else Oskar by himself, hid most of her belongings in the apartment complex's basement storage area. Eli took some of the money and the Rubik's Cube with her. Where she went is anyone's guess, but it seems that she had every intention of coming back. Possibly she went looking for a temporary hiding place in the area; just until the situation calmed down. All she would have needed is a place to stay during the day. Once the sun is down, she could roam (and kill if required) as much as she needed. And with the flying ability, she could cover large areas. But what I think she actually did at night was shadow Oskar without his knowledge. And as someone has previously stated, she might be able to detect his thoughts. So I doubt that she was very far from Oskar at any time. I think in determining what might have happened, you are only limited by your imagination.

[gattoparde59]

I think I have answered something like this before, so I will just repeat myself.

I think gary13136 has the reasonable answer from the book.

In the film it is different. Seeing the film more than once you can see the ending foreshadowed in an earlier scene where Eli watches Oskar in the swimming pool and seems unhappy about that bully being there. In my imagination, based only on the film. I see Eli returning to just look at Oskar, but maybe not meet up with him. By chance she arrives in the middle of Jimmy and Conny's little "competition." Then we see how the bullies have opened up a big old can of vampire whup-ass.

There is a good line in the novel, and it comes from Lacke (of all people), "You didn't let your friends down."

[Lacenaire]

Too much chance for my taste (I work a lot with probabilities ) so I think I prefer to stick with one of my own theories . But thanks, a least it's clear that it's not clear

[a_contemplative_life]

big old can of vampire whup-ass

Too funny