Analysis of consequences.
This Swedish crime novel hits all the right psychological thriller spots and fits into my ‘book that has been translated’ category. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first novel in the series and was published posthumously (which I find to be a really cool fact) in 2005.
I think it’s important to start off with the knowledge that the original title literally translates into Men Who Hate Women. That sets the tone for the novel and may or may not turn you off from even starting; but I beg of you to give it a chance. The main character, Mikael Blomkvist, is hired by an old, rich man to find out what happened to his grandniece many years ago. That might sound like a boring premise but I don’t want to spoil the novel in any way.
The plot overall is slow, but in order to build up to the denouement it is exactly what is needed. Larsson knows how to slowly reveal parts of the characters and share important clues in a way that doesn’t make reading a chore, and keeps you invested in the outcome. This book is by no means an easy book to read in terms of subject matter BUT it is absolutely worth it. I appreciate that a big part of the mystery is resolved by the end of the book just in case a person decides to not continue with the series. To put into perspective how much I loved the book: I finished all 590 pages in 3 days.
P.S. There is something very special about a male author who can seamlessly add in the titles of mystery/crime novels written by women into a novel in which women are lambasted
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