I really did not care for it.
There. Wow, I feel great getting that out into the open.
This best-selling novel by Steig Larssen has been a topic of discussion since it was released in 2005, and has two sequels. There are two plots: the first is centered around the strange disappearance of Harriet Vanger, an heir to the well-known Vanger company; the second plot revolves around the male protagonist's desire to prove that a powerful Swedish businessman is, in fact, a crook. Henrick Vanger's beloved niece mysteriously disappeared from his life nearly 40 years ago, and his poor health and old age have encouraged him to enlist the help of investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Mikael is reeling from a guilty charge for publishing a libelous article about Wennerstrom, a Swedish billionaire and businessman. Vanger promises to tell Blomkvist some dirt on Wennerstrom in exchange for his help in solving the case of the missing Harriet. Along the way, Blomkvist picks up Lisbeth Salanader, a young punk computer prodigy who helps bring together the missing links in both cases.
Now, if you haven't already read the book, I do think that it's worth the time to pick up the first and develop your own opinion on the characters and themes. I hate to spoil too much of the plot, but my biggest problems with the book dealt more with the characters. I found Lisbeth to be unsympathetic, and every woman Mikael comes in contact with falls deeply in love with him, a trait that gets boring. Not much is given on Lisbeth's backstory, although I'm told that she has more development in the following novels. The plots themselves did not seem to match up, and I found it odd that Larssen included both within the same pages. And, in case you've heard that the book is violent and has some disturbing passages, that's absolutely true. During some readings at breakfast, I had to stop eating cereal because I felt a bit gross with myself. On the other hand, any book that elicits such a strong reaction can't be wholly bad, and I'm glad to have given the trilogy a shot.
I will not, however, be checking out the rest of his works.
P.S. Happy 100th post!
