It’s a rare event when a single book can turn you on to an entire genre that had flown under your radar, especially when you spend as much time perusing Borders as I do.
Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is just such a book. Before I’d even finished it, I downloaded its sequel, The Girl Who Played with Fire, to listen to on the drive to Des Moines. (If you’re a fan of audiobooks, both are worth buying. The narrator does a wonderful job, and it’s a bonus to hear the correct pronunciation of the names and places in the book). Since Stieg introduced me to Scandinavian noir, I’ve discovered the understated brilliance of Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander series & Karin Fossum’s Inspector Sejer mysteries.
But, getting back to Stieg.
The Girl who Played with Fire is the first of the it’s-so-good-you’ll-stay-up-reading-until-you-fall-asleep-with-the-lights-and-your-glasses-on Millennium trilogy from the author (who passed away shortly after submitting his manuscripts). It chronicles the strange events that unfold when Mikael Blomkvist, a financial journalist whose professional reputation is in ruins, is solicited by industrial magnate Henrik Vagner to investigate the disappearance of his niece, a case that’s remained unsolved for nearly forty years. Blomkvist is less than interested in the job, but Vagner makes him an offer he can’t refuse – one that would restore his name to its rightful place. Salander, who moonlights as a private investigator, comes into the fray after Blomkvist has taken up residence at Vagner’s estate.
As Salander and Blomkvist begin to unravel Vagner’s twisted, at times outright bizarre, family history, Larsson slowly intersperses pieces of Salander’s past that begin to hint at the truly dark nature of her own personal demons. In spite of her vulnerability, she’s the kind of woman who, when wronged, never fails to respond in kind (though it might be a long time coming).
Salander is one of my favorite female literary protagonists of all time – giving Flavia de Luce (from The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie) and Dagny Taggart (of Atlas Shrugged) a run for their money. Picture Angelina Jolie from Hackers, add more neuroticism, a cutting tongue, and a smattering of control issues, and you have Salander.
Though it takes a while to get into – Larsson spends quite a bit of time giving background information that comes into play much later in the story – once he picks up the pace, you won’t be able to put it down. I had planned on doing a review of one of the books I’ve completed for 52 in 52 (I read this last fall) but just found out that the book is being released as a movie in March. And if you’re anything like me, you can’t see the movie for a book THIS good until you’ve read it first.
The third book in the series, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, is being released in the US on May 25, so those of you who haven’t yet read the first two won’t have to endure the long wait to find out the fates of Salander & Blomkvist. Or, if you’re particularly impatient, you could always snag a copy that’s been imported from Britain.
Are there any books that have introduced you to a genre you’d never explored before? Also, if you’re interested in getting in on the 52 in 52 Challenge, let me know! I’ll start linking to other bloggers who are giving it a go – even if you’re aiming for 12 books in 12 months.
