Book Review: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
An Introduction to Larsson’s 1ST Novel of the Millennium Trilogy
Mar 24, 2009 Sabrina Louise Webb
The novel begins with Mikael Blomkvist, who is a journalist for the Millennium magazine in Stockholm, Sweden. He has recently been disgraced; he published an article on a man called Hans-Erik Wennerstrom who in turn takes him to court for libel. Blomkvist loses the case and is approached by Henrik Vanger, who offers him a job.
Mystery
Vanger is trying to resolve a mystery that took place nearly forty years previously: the disappearance of his niece, Harriet who disappeared without a trace. But every year on his birthday, he receives a pressed flower sent from various places throughout the world by Harriet’s killer. Vanger convinces Blomkvist to help him solve the mystery, primarily because Vanger claims to have knowledge that would prove Wennerstrom is a crook. Blomkvist, during the year he is contracted to work for Vanger, uses the cover that he is writing a book concerning the Vanger family history. Larsson provides a family tree for the Vanger family, as its members are so many.
Lisbeth Salander
Lisbeth Salander is the big character of the novels. She is an anti-social, highly intelligent, bisexual punk with bags of attitude. Lisbeth is a ward of the court both because of her anti-social behaviour and because she is judged to be mentally ill. Her guardian is the corrupt Nils Bjurman who was appointed to take care of Salander’s interests following the illness of her former guardian Holger Palmgren.
Salander is employed on a freelance basis by Dragan Armanskij, who runs Milton Security, a company which conducts private investigations and research on both individuals and companies and also provides security. It is here that Salander proves her ingenious abilities as a computer hacker and researcher, and through her connections at Milton that she meets Blomkvist.
Salander & Blomkvist
Salander and Blomkvist eventually team up to attempt to solve the forty-year old mystery of Harriet; in doing so, they themselves come under attack.
Themes
Larsson uses Salander as a way of exploring whether an individual’s actions are a result of themselves as a person, or the way they are treated. Salander, as is documented in the novel, has been victimised by the state and lived through numerous tragic circumstances, including sexual abuse and time spent in psychiatric care. Both this novel, and ‘The Girl Who Played With Fire’, also discusses the treatment of women, with regards to abuse women face from men.
Author
Sadly Stieg Larsson died before he could witness the success of the books he wrote. ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ won numerous awards, including the Glass Key Award for best crime novel and the boeke prize in 2008.
Reference & Useful Links:
'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'
Publisher: MacLehose Press
Publication Date (UK): 10/01/08
ISBN: 1847242537
Copies of 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' are available here.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
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