The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
Mikael Blomkvist, a once respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old school titan of Swedish industry. The catch - and there's always a catch- is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlist he help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: You really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.
If not for my necessity to read at least something, I wouldn't have opened this book. the title doesn't say anything as intriguing at all and its really thick. But I did. and the prologue was enough for me to get hooked. As how plain the title is as how as complicated and entirely weaved the plot was.
Biased by my perception of such plot, i knew from the very beginning someone close and someone that has repeatedly been mentioned and a regular occurrence to the plot was behind all the mystery and I proved myself right. But let not my way of thinking hinder you from almost believing that this is just another of those investigative book that have their plot predictable. Because it is entirely not.
Its like their is no hole left for you to fill, to criticize because it was created in such a way wherein common sense, intelligence and above all constructive criticism is used and held to bring the story in a whole new level. I personally think Stieg Larsson had made a wonderful job. It hooks the readers from the beginning, captivates the true emotion, even gave a detailed description that makes his audience see and imagine themselves in the setting. Its almost like watching a film. And yet what really had me until the end were the evidences laid that make you look for your own clues and figure out how everything will continue from there on. As realistic as it could be it did not only focus on the mere fact that they were after the case and on the case alone. Stieg Larsson gave the audience a preview of his character, thus making it one step more interesting.
On the other hand, I think I missed a whole part of the book since I lack knowledge of Sweden history. It might have been a better book altogether if i understand so much of Harriet's family history. It did play a big role in connecting and intertwining the cause and the effect, the actions of the characters. Even though as stated above, even without all this knowledge and impossibly readable names which are in Swedish, its a lot to think about.
Another factor that caught me off guard is the feminism theme. the chapters were divided by the span of time the events took place plus statistics of abused women, a major recurring point since the protagonist, the Harriet and all the murderer's victim are abused.
I can't believe I found my all-time favorite character in the person of Lisbeth Salander. And I don't even feel the need to explain myself because she did all that in the book. So all praises to Rooney Mara for doing such an excellent job in portraying her character. The movie was just how imagined it.
this is a must-read. Holding it in the shelves was one big mistake.
PS. I have been so obsessed with the book, I had to watch all 3 movies. The first film version was produced by a Yellow Bird, a swedish production company. Daniel Craig's movie was Hollywood's adaptation of the film
Rating: 9.9/10
The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
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