A certain hesitation came over me before embarking on the phenomenally successful thriller (trilogy indeed). Would it live up to expectations? Would it grab me the way it seems to have grabbed so many others? Or would it be a bit of a let down? Similar hesitations arise now, because whatever I say partisans and non-partisans of Stieg Larsson seem to have strong views and adding to the pile of opinions seems rather futile. Still, the idea is I do these things, so here it is.
First, what this book is not. It is not "literary fiction", and, though I cannot speak for the Swedish original, Larsson could not be described as a great stylist or memorable writer as such. So no, I don't believe anyone will be reading this in twenty years for it's literary merits or its ability to communicate profundities of any sort. Stylistically, it is not only rather standard-issue thrillerese, it even has jarring tics, such as the needless geeky precision over models of laptop or software, obviously consciously done, but which distracts needlessly from the narrative.
Perhaps that doesn't matter too much, as narrative is what this book has in a abundance. Larsson is a great storyteller and weaves his plotlines, themselves not perhaps as original as some of the rave reviews have suggested, with great skill and panache. It's a page-turner for sure, and, I'm sure like most readers, I went through the book at great speed, eager for the next twist of plot.
Much has been said about the character of the heroine (who is arguably not the main protagonist) and the originality of placing a punkish, anti-social, probably autistic, character to the fore in this way. Yes, she is a little different from your average thriller heroine, but, actually in the end, maybe rather less different, at least in terms of her narrative function, than you might expect.
I have to say a word too about the nastiness in this novel, the gruesome scenes and evocations of further gruesomeness it contains. It seems almost de rigueur for a thriller which wants to be considered worth its salt to display its knowledge of the nuts and bolts of human depravity, and I suppose that's OK as long as it assists the narrative, but some of the stuff in "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" seems to be rather bolted-on, gratuitous, as if Larsson feels the need to demonstrate he can do this kind of thing with the best of 'em. But maybe I'm just under-exposed to the genre, or excessively prudish about unnecessary sadomasochism...
Recommendation: I can agree that Larsson has written something which is, as it says on the cover, a "cut above the average thriller", and, yes, it was an enjoyable read. But I'm frankly not convinced, on the strength of the first book at least, that the Millenium Trilogy deserves the hype which has surrounded it. So, from my point of view, it is quite feasible to go through life without reading it, you won't have missed out on anything significant, even from a pop-culture perspective. (If it makes the point, Harry Potter ain't literature either, but you would miss out on something if it passed you by altogether.)
Larsson fans, feel free to comment below!
First, what this book is not. It is not "literary fiction", and, though I cannot speak for the Swedish original, Larsson could not be described as a great stylist or memorable writer as such. So no, I don't believe anyone will be reading this in twenty years for it's literary merits or its ability to communicate profundities of any sort. Stylistically, it is not only rather standard-issue thrillerese, it even has jarring tics, such as the needless geeky precision over models of laptop or software, obviously consciously done, but which distracts needlessly from the narrative.
Perhaps that doesn't matter too much, as narrative is what this book has in a abundance. Larsson is a great storyteller and weaves his plotlines, themselves not perhaps as original as some of the rave reviews have suggested, with great skill and panache. It's a page-turner for sure, and, I'm sure like most readers, I went through the book at great speed, eager for the next twist of plot.
Much has been said about the character of the heroine (who is arguably not the main protagonist) and the originality of placing a punkish, anti-social, probably autistic, character to the fore in this way. Yes, she is a little different from your average thriller heroine, but, actually in the end, maybe rather less different, at least in terms of her narrative function, than you might expect.
I have to say a word too about the nastiness in this novel, the gruesome scenes and evocations of further gruesomeness it contains. It seems almost de rigueur for a thriller which wants to be considered worth its salt to display its knowledge of the nuts and bolts of human depravity, and I suppose that's OK as long as it assists the narrative, but some of the stuff in "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" seems to be rather bolted-on, gratuitous, as if Larsson feels the need to demonstrate he can do this kind of thing with the best of 'em. But maybe I'm just under-exposed to the genre, or excessively prudish about unnecessary sadomasochism...
Recommendation: I can agree that Larsson has written something which is, as it says on the cover, a "cut above the average thriller", and, yes, it was an enjoyable read. But I'm frankly not convinced, on the strength of the first book at least, that the Millenium Trilogy deserves the hype which has surrounded it. So, from my point of view, it is quite feasible to go through life without reading it, you won't have missed out on anything significant, even from a pop-culture perspective. (If it makes the point, Harry Potter ain't literature either, but you would miss out on something if it passed you by altogether.)
Larsson fans, feel free to comment below!
No literature perhaps, but a real page turner
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