First, I can report back not to bother with the film. It misses out SO much from the book, and I don't mean in a 'Harry Potter miss out' sort of way. It literally changes the plot in places so as it is more amiable to film. But the end result is a far more simplistic and shallower experience. Bordering on utter shit really. I don't quite understand why Empire gave it a five-star review, but we're not here to discuss the film version. All I can say is that if you watch the film but don't bother with the book you will probably gain the wrong impression that the novel is crap. It's not. Far from it.
Onto the book then. “Several cuts above most thrillers…intelligent, complex, with a gripping plot and deeply intriguing characters”, or so its accolades would have you believe. I had heard about Stieg Larsson's masterpiece, even seen people on the train reading it. But crime/thriller novels usually aren't my cup of tea. Alas, my dear mother bought it and said I should give it a go. I wasn't disappointed.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first of Larsson's Millennium Trilogy which sat unpublished before his premature death back in 2004. The plot centres on two characters; the idealistic journalist Mikael Blomkvist and unorthodox, yet alluring Lisbeth Salander. The plot opens with Blomkvist convicted of libel after his disastrous attempt to expose Swedish business magnate Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. Ostracised by the public as a sloppy journalist, Blomkvist is mysteriously contacted by the lawyer of Henrik Vanger, the patriarch of the languishing Vanger Corporation. Vanger offers Blomkvist a job to investigate the unconventional circumstances surrounding the disappearance of his niece, Harriet Vanger, who vanished without trace back in the sixties. The catch; Henrik Vanger suspects a member of his sprawling and insidious family. As Blomkvist delves deeper into the unscrupulous Vanger family his path crosses with multi-talented computer hacker Lisbeth Salander where the seemingly unsolvable mystery takes numerous shocking twists and turns.
The intertwining plot threads and character archs make for an explosive, fast-paced and complex novel, brimming with murder, sex and intrigue. Now, here's what struck me most about Larsson; he is particularly preoccupied with sex. It is most definitely the central theme and several thoughts occurred to me as to why this may be. In Swedish the book is known as 'Men Who Hate Women' so it might stand to reason that sexuality will be explored. But Larsson writes, and describes in great detail, literally every sexual taboo you can think of. Yes, every taboo. There are several reasons as to why I think this might be. First, we all know those Scandinavians are pretty liberal about such matters, but what I found myself thinking is 'why'? Why do you have to be so graphic? Is it for shock value? Are you just some pseudo-intellectual 'progressive'? Or do you have a secret obsession you only dare put to paper? Rape is a massive part of sexual conduct in this book and whilst yes, it functions as central to the plot, the veracity and meticulousness of the approach toward it in this book makes me wonder what was down in the dark recesses of Stieg Larsson's imagination. Even at the back of the book is an extract for the next in the series, and what is that extract building up toward? Yeah, a rape moment. Am I too sensitive? I'm not offended by any of this, but I feel the need to question the raptness of it all.
I could be utterly wrong about the man, but the other impression I got was that Larsson attempted to split his own personality across the two main protagonists. Blomkvist seems to modelled on himself, with Larsson being a real-life, left-leaning journalist and activist before his death. Lisbeth Salander appears to represent the deeper inner-workings of himself, in a way reflecting a certain misanthropic attitude which maybe he never publicly displayed. A shrewd girl who rarely says a word but makes astute observations about the human condition. I would put forward that her experiences in the novel might be a metaphor for his general feeling toward society as a whole and that she represents his private conscious. Then again, I could be talking complete bollocks.
I'm proud to say that, without hint of arrogance, I kind of figured out the mystery around a fifth of the way through the book (it's 540 pages). Well, sort of. I had two theories, but they kind of melded into one which I didn't quite expect, but close enough! Hmpf! Anyway, it is an excellent read and extremely well written. I never thought I would enjoy a crime-mystery book but to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Go read it!
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