So, if this blog has shown anything, it’s that I’m really into connecting with the zeitgeist. I’m a big TV watcher because it contributes to our modern imagined community (and yes, I just referenced Benedict Anderson in a blog intro) and in a similar vein, I enjoy reading books that are generating a lot of buzz. The one exception to that rule was, for the longest time, the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. I bought the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I could not for the life of me get into it. I chalk that up to two things: trying to read it on an eReader (and being unable to easily flip back and look up foreign-sounding names), and the material (Swedish economics is not a barn-burner to me). Regardless, the draw of being part of the zeitgeist was strong, so I borrowed the trilogy from a friend, and was finally able to power through and finish them. So, here are my thoughts on them.
To begin with, we’re talking about three books. The first, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has two plots, both of which revolve around one of Larsson’s main characters, Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist and founding member of the financial magazine, Millennium. TGWTT begins after Blomkvist’s public disgrace after having been found guilty of liable against a major Swedish industrialist; having to find a place to hide out until the pressure dies down, Blomkvist finds himself wrapped up in an investigation centered a woman who went missing from her family home 20 years earlier. Through this investigation, Blomkvist meets Larsson’s second main character, Lisbeth Salandar, a young woman with a troubled past, and exceptional research/computer skills.
The second and third books of the Trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, read like one book, and tell the story of Lisbeth and her personal history. TGWPWF begins with a sub-plot on sex-trafficking in Sweden
I am torn about my impressions on these books. My first impression is that they’re not worth it. Larsson buries his plots in (what reads like) unending discussions of Swedish economics and politics. I realize that part of the problem is that I just don’t have a basic understanding of Swedish political history, nor do I care about the Swedish economy. So, I’m at point non-plus with that – some people that have those interests will likely enjoy reading about them because they’re well presented.
Buried in all that are some interesting plots. This is just my uneducated North American perceptions, but I always thought of the Swedes as the Canadians of the Scandinavian Countries; for the most part harmless, and far too polite for their own good. But, then again, they are humans and humans have an unbelievable capacity to hurt each other. Larsson’s plots revolve around serial killers, sexual sadists, sex trafficking, and spies. Good Lord – what more can you ask for!? But all those interesting bits are buried in the descriptions of Swedish politics and economics. Again, we find ourselves at point non-plus.
What about the characters? Yes, the characters are a definite plus in these books. Blomkvist is at once one of the most stable and yet messed-up characters I can remember reading about; Salandar looks like one of the most messed-up characters I can remember reading about, but that’s just the surface – the reality is far more complex and engaging; and the cast of supporting characters are all equally interesting and well written. However, there are a lot of characters, and it can often become confusing to assess whose arc you’re reading about (especially with the foreign-names), so I found myself flipping backwards in the books trying to remember who was who. So, point non-plus again.
As for the writing style, there are more than a few situations where a thought or some dialogue is lost in translation. The translators obviously tried to make the language conform to the flow and complexity of the English language, and sometimes it just falls flat. A turn of phrase that might work in Swedish is just awkward when converted to English. But that’s window dressing – what about the substance? As mentioned above, there’s a lot of information thrown at the reader about Swedish politics and economics; these books could have benefited from a slash and burn-style edit; they are all probably 100-200 pages longer than they need to be.
Part of that problem may be that the author died after delivering the manuscripts to the publisher; I don’t know if he submitted all three at once, or if there had been discussions with the publisher before Larsson died, or what, exactly, the situation was. If I had to guess though, I’d say the first book was edited by the publisher before Larsson’s death, some work had been undertaken on editing the second before he died, and publisher allowed the third to ride as was because Larsson died before publication. If anyone knows the truth, let me know, but there does seem to be a declining involvement of a plot editor as the books progress.
So, final verdict? I don’t know…. As in the past, I would say read these books because they are part of the modern literary zeitgeist; these books were (and are) incredibly popular. But there are a lot of detractions in these books that make them hard to get into, then hard to keep up with; I found that if I sat for long periods of time, I could enjoy them – if I came and went from them, I had a hard time remembering where I was with each of the characters’ stories and where the main plot was. I guess at the end of the day, you should read these books if for no other reason than to develop your own impressions, and maybe to tell me (if you like them), what it was that I missed. I think the Millennium Trilogy is going to go on my bookshelves, and I’ll reexamine it in a few years.
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