Ryan ChartrandIn a few words, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson can be described as unsettling, detailed, and… amazing. Murder mysteries are not exactly my forte, but after seeing the large display at the book store dubbing the novel an official Barnes & Noble Recommends, I had to give in and found myself setting forth on a twisted intricate tale of a missing girl, a journalist and a punk-hacker duo that bring her story into the light after decades of injustice.
Originally printed in Swedish, the title, “M„n Som Hatar Kvinnor,” literally translates to, “Men Who Hate Women.” Needless to say, this is a constant theme throughout the novel, as it centers more or less around a series of brutal murders in Sweden in the 1940s though the 1960s.
Written quite journalistically, this novel does not survive on its beautiful writing or personal prose. Instead, Larsson states fact after fact, rather blatantly and forces the reader to take note. At times I felt as though I was reading a rough documentation of a series of happenings, rather than a novel. I was at first turned off by the lack of character development, and after reading the entire work, am still not sure if I was truly able to connect with any of the characters by the end. I wanted to know more of their insights and feelings as the novel progressed. They remained a bit one-dimensional for my liking. I will however, in defense of one hell of a mystery, say that this is a translation, and I would assume that much of the personal touches Larsson may have intended for the reader were left somewhere in limbo from Swedish to English.
The issue in the novel turned out to be far more than a simple who-dunnit with so many family trees and timelines to keep straight you might think you are reading a history book. The book begins with a slow start, with just enough action to keep you wondering where Larsson is going. After the third chapter, though, I was sufficiently engrossed in the sometimes horrific portrait that is the mystery of Harriet Vanger’s disappearance.
Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist and publisher of Millennium magazine, finds himself on the losing side of a libel case involving Swedish industrialist, Hans-Erik Wennerstr”m. Without the resources to prove his innocence, Blomkvist finds himself in a predicament any journalist, or human being for that matter, would dread. Feeling exiled from his livelihood, he agrees to a seemingly random offer to move to the small island of Hedeby to write the family portrait of the well-to-do Vangers. Of course, this is only the surface of the issue, with the real job lying in uncovering a cold-case disappearance of then 16 year-old, Harriet Vanger.
Immediately seeing that the assignment is impossible, Blomkvist agrees to try, knowing that at the end of his one year “sentence,” he will be paid by the withering Henrik Vanger, who had dedicated his life to cracking the mystery, regardless of whether the job is completed or not. Vanger also promises him something he cannot refuse in reward for his efforts that could solve his libel upset.
What Blomkvist did not anticipate when accepting the terms was that he himself would become extremely engaged in the sordid mix up of violence and endless question marks. In possibly a little too deep, he eventually teams up with unexpected asocial Lisbeth Salander, punk-Goth computer hacker extraordinaire who, in her own right, guides and owns the story.
I found myself more interested in her tale than the actual mystery overall, and as a character, I think she was well described and quite deep. Her story is an unfortunate one, and she is frustrating to read about at times. Brilliant but bothered, it is Salander that takes this story to the next level for me.
This book was addicting early on. If I was not reading it, I wanted to be reading it. I had to know what was coming next and I suppose that is a sure sign of a good, engrossing novel. Many times I sat back and marveled at the intricacy of the details. Between dates, times, places and the endless list of Vangers, it was unbelievable that Larsson could keep it all straight himself.
At 465 pages, I would not recommend this if you are in search of a light “beach-read” of sorts. Oh no, reader beware, this novel is a full time commitment, but once you get past the obligatory first 100 pages, you will have a hard time putting it down and an even harder time forgetting it. It was a perfect combination of chilling, entrancing and mind spinning.
I also found out after I was well into my reading, that Larson had written three novels at the time of his death in his 2004, with this being the first of the “Millennium Trilogy.” Dare I say, I am a little excited to think the mystery is not yet concluded.
Next week’s book is “Karma and Other Stories,” by Rishi Reddi.