To start: my apology.
My blogging fervor has subsided.
It frustrates me that I can’t seem to find the time to write about the
books that I love. Nor that I can
find the time to actually READ these books. Science and life in general takes over. But I’m back. . . for now.
And
today, it’s your lucky day: it’s a 3 for 1 special! I recently completed the Swedish trilogy by Steig Larsson. I’ll discuss them in one entry for several
reasons: one, I’m lazy, and two, I read them so close together that they’ve
kind of merged into one for me.
Let
me start: These books are awesome!
My husband doesn’t normally get into “recreational” novels, but he
couldn’t read these fast enough. Because
I equally enjoy most books, I read all books at the same pace. Needless to say, I couldn’t keep up
with him, but I could read over 2000 pages in a few short months. All this is to say, the story is
great. The mystery is real. The characters are believable.
The
trilogy starts with The Girl with the
Dragon Tattoo. If
you’ve read the books, you are familiar with Lisbeth Salander, the leading
female character. When I read the
physical description of Salander, describing her with “non-existent hips and
child-like breasts”, I practically burst out laughing. Larsson was describing me! I didn’t think very many adult females
had my body type, but apparently I found my look-alike in a novel. It quickly became apparent,
however, that she is wildly different from me. For one, I don’t have a dragon tattoo trailing down my
spine. And secondly, although a
self-described introvert, I lack Lisbeth’s intense fear of normal society and
her killer instincts. But more on
Lisbeth later.
Her
counterpart is Mikael Blomkvist. A
journalist by trade, he has a warm and righteous heart. Living up to his own standards of truth
and morality is not an easy task and often leads him into trouble. And this is
where The Girl with Dragon Tattoo begins.
After
being tried and convicted of libel against a Swedish billionaire, Mikael needs
a new distraction and becomes involved with the Vanger clan, a wealthy family
that lives in a quaint town in northern Sweden. Mikael is tasked with defining the circumstances around the
disappearance of the granddaughter, Harriet. At the same time that Mikael gets mixed up in the Vanger
affair, we learn about Lisbeth.
She is apparently incompetent and under the guardianship of the state,
meaning that she needs permission to access her own money among almost any
other normal human activity. Her
first guardian was a kind-hearted man who felt compassion for Lisbeth. Her second, and current, guardian lacks
these qualities, to say the least.
However, she is an incredibly gifted girl. Her computer-hacking skills (legal and otherwise) make her a
valuable resource for security companies and journalists alike. When she finally connects with Mikael,
you know that their relationship will be lovingly complicated-bwahahaha. By the
end of the novel, we are left with two resolved issues: the first surrounding
the exoneration of Mikael in his libel case and the second with the Vanger
affair. What forces you to read
the second novel: the unclear relationship status between Mikael and Lisbeth.
On
to the second story: The Girl who Played
with Fire. Like the first
novel, this second novel is driven by a murder mystery. Mixed up in a Russian sex trade story,
Mikael’s friends are murdered, along with a third, apparently, random man. In the search for the killer of this
triple murder (I’ll leave it to you to find out who precisely is killed), the
search turns to Lisbeth. Lisbeth,
of course, is good at hiding and good at digging for the truth. Larsson’s talents at intertwining
stories continue in this second novel.
While we learn about the leader of the Russian sex trade scandal,
Zalenchenko, we also get insight into Lisbeth and her troubled childhood. With Mikael trying to find Lisbeth,
defend her freedom, while also searching for the truth behind the murder of his
friends, the novel ends with the connection between Zalenchenko and Lisbeth in
an amazing cliff-hanger. Hang on
to your seats, friends!
So
in the same moment you finish the second book, you must start the third novel,
no questions asked. The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is
more of a political thriller and requires a bit more focus to fully follow,
unless of course, the inner-workings of the Swedish police and government are well
known to you. What drives this
novel is the details we learn about Lisbeth. At this point, the trial of Lisbeth is about to begin.
Mikael is one of few characters that fight in Lisbeth’s corner. With Mikael we learn about how Lisbeth
ends up in a mental institution, is deemed incompetent, and is put under the
care of the state. We also learn
about the atrocities of the Swedish government in their treatment of both
Zalenchenko and Lisbeth. In
addition to fighting for the freedom of Lisbeth, I also always fight for the
love story. I want Mikael and
Lisbeth to get together, to fall madly in love and live happily ever after (I
am a romantic at heart). But I’ll
let you figure out how this love story ends.
Of
course, I can’t accurately capture all the complexities of these three stories
in my one blog entry. What I can
tell you is that if you haven’t already read this trilogy, READ IT. If you have, share your thoughts with
me. I’d love to hear what you think!.
“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s
desire to understand” Neil Armstrong
