The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
May 5th 2010 01:37
I had heard about this book before and knew that it was popular and a best seller but hadn’t heard much else than that. It was only after reading a review that mentioned that Stieg Larsson, the author, had passed away and that the rights of the book where being fought over by his partner of 25 years and his family, that I started to take interest. My interest was piqued when I read that the original Swedish title is “Men who hate Women” and that the title was changed by the publisher for English translation. With these snippets of information I decided to see what it was all about. From the first page to the last I couldn’t put it down.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo revolves around a mystery 40 years old. Henrik Vanger, an aged former CEO of the Vangar Corporation, a family dynasty, has been plagued by the disappearance of a niece so long ago and is convinced it is one of the members of his rich but dysfunctional family. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, to take a look at the investigation with fresh eyes. Mikael, who is in trouble with the law, decides to take the case in the hopes with the proviso that Henrik will help him in his problems. What ensues is a tale of deceit, perversion and a mystery that has torn a family apart for too many years. No one appreciates Mikael digging up the past, especially a killer with a secret to hide.
The real star of this book is Lisbeth Salander, an enigmatic girl, who keeps herself apart from the world, sometimes forcibly. Lisbeth takes center stage as a girl who gets spit on by life, but stands definitely and kicks life in the balls in return. As a researcher for a security company she becomes involved in the Vanger mystery for her own amusement. With Mikael and Lisbeth both working the case, it soon becomes clear that the skeletons are coming out of the closet.
As I have never been to Sweden, the places and locales are different from what we usually read about but a story about corporate greed, violence towards women and the art of revenge is universal. The violence towards woman is what I feel the book is about. Stieg Larsson wanted us to know that by titling his book “Men who hate Women.” At times I was uncomfortable while reading about sexual and physical abuse and it made me consider what other things violence entails. From mental and verbal abuse, domination and the way we see women and what they represent. In my young life I have frequently encountered attractive women and in some respects I have had daydreams or fantasies about that woman. All men have. Is it innocent and no harm done like all men believe? Or is it something darker, in which we objectify women and abuse them subconsciously. Is it right to think of a women like that in the privacy of my head, and if it is alright how does it affect my relationships with the women in my life. Lisbeth plays the perfect victim, a young attractive seemingly timid girl, who is assaulted and hated by men around her. Through her eyes I see ugliness and viciousness in men that I have never seen before and it worries me, as a man. Have I been an abusive man? I have never physically abused a woman, but have I unknowingly mentally abused or treated a woman in an abusive way. These are the questions all men need to answer and if this was the only idea from this novel, it would be a worthy read.
The writing style is very different from other books I have read. Where some novels relay on action to move the story, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, seems to treat the action as an afterthought, a conscience of the investigation not as a catalyst. Mikael and Lisbeth both act in a reactive way to the forces at play around them. This makes it seem they are always one step behind which creates a great air of mystery and suspense.
My opinion is that this is a worthy addition to any book shelf, with universal themes and interesting dynamic characters. This is, like people all over the world have found, a great book. As the first in a trilogy it sucks you into an interesting world with characters you enjoy and somewhat identify with. It is graphic in parts and may cause queasiness or unease, but these parts add to the appeal somewhat, strengthening your bond with the characters involved. I am only sad at the fact that, due to the authors’ demise there will only be these three books from his pen. The world has lost a captivating and entertaining author before his time. But with three books, three Swedish language films and talk of Hollywood movies to come, we all will have enough to keep us entertained for a little while at least.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo revolves around a mystery 40 years old. Henrik Vanger, an aged former CEO of the Vangar Corporation, a family dynasty, has been plagued by the disappearance of a niece so long ago and is convinced it is one of the members of his rich but dysfunctional family. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, to take a look at the investigation with fresh eyes. Mikael, who is in trouble with the law, decides to take the case in the hopes with the proviso that Henrik will help him in his problems. What ensues is a tale of deceit, perversion and a mystery that has torn a family apart for too many years. No one appreciates Mikael digging up the past, especially a killer with a secret to hide.
The real star of this book is Lisbeth Salander, an enigmatic girl, who keeps herself apart from the world, sometimes forcibly. Lisbeth takes center stage as a girl who gets spit on by life, but stands definitely and kicks life in the balls in return. As a researcher for a security company she becomes involved in the Vanger mystery for her own amusement. With Mikael and Lisbeth both working the case, it soon becomes clear that the skeletons are coming out of the closet.
As I have never been to Sweden, the places and locales are different from what we usually read about but a story about corporate greed, violence towards women and the art of revenge is universal. The violence towards woman is what I feel the book is about. Stieg Larsson wanted us to know that by titling his book “Men who hate Women.” At times I was uncomfortable while reading about sexual and physical abuse and it made me consider what other things violence entails. From mental and verbal abuse, domination and the way we see women and what they represent. In my young life I have frequently encountered attractive women and in some respects I have had daydreams or fantasies about that woman. All men have. Is it innocent and no harm done like all men believe? Or is it something darker, in which we objectify women and abuse them subconsciously. Is it right to think of a women like that in the privacy of my head, and if it is alright how does it affect my relationships with the women in my life. Lisbeth plays the perfect victim, a young attractive seemingly timid girl, who is assaulted and hated by men around her. Through her eyes I see ugliness and viciousness in men that I have never seen before and it worries me, as a man. Have I been an abusive man? I have never physically abused a woman, but have I unknowingly mentally abused or treated a woman in an abusive way. These are the questions all men need to answer and if this was the only idea from this novel, it would be a worthy read.
The writing style is very different from other books I have read. Where some novels relay on action to move the story, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, seems to treat the action as an afterthought, a conscience of the investigation not as a catalyst. Mikael and Lisbeth both act in a reactive way to the forces at play around them. This makes it seem they are always one step behind which creates a great air of mystery and suspense.
My opinion is that this is a worthy addition to any book shelf, with universal themes and interesting dynamic characters. This is, like people all over the world have found, a great book. As the first in a trilogy it sucks you into an interesting world with characters you enjoy and somewhat identify with. It is graphic in parts and may cause queasiness or unease, but these parts add to the appeal somewhat, strengthening your bond with the characters involved. I am only sad at the fact that, due to the authors’ demise there will only be these three books from his pen. The world has lost a captivating and entertaining author before his time. But with three books, three Swedish language films and talk of Hollywood movies to come, we all will have enough to keep us entertained for a little while at least.
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