Swedish journalist Mikael Blomkvist writes and publishes a report about businessman Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. He has no idea what a powerful and vengeful enemy he has made. He soon finds out.
But first Blomkvist is taken to court. He is found guilty of fifteen counts of aggravated libel against the plaintiff. He is sentenced to three months in gaol and is fined 150 000 kronor.
Hardly a rich man, the judgement and damages could potentially wreck his career and wipe out his savings.
Uncertain Future and Bizarre Assignment
Blomkvist severs his relationship with Millennium, the magazine he founded with Erica Berger, the woman with whom he has an unconventional sexual relationship.
Facing an uncertain future, he is approached with an offer that could solve his problems. Aging industrialist Henrik Vanger wants him to investigate the murder of his great niece decades ago. The money is great and the working conditions are excellent.
However, Blomkvist is initially reluctant to take on the bizarre assignment.
When he eventually accepts, the journalist is slowly drawn into the mystery.
He enlists the help of the mysterious Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant computer hacker with no moral scruples.
The two are on the verge of unravelling the darkest secrets of the Vanger dynasty when someone shows a murderous hand in order to keep the past buried forever.
And Blomkvist still has unfinished business with Erick-Wennerstrom.
Enjoyable and Gripping
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an interesting story with an unusual cast of characters. Blomkvist sort of likes women and sleeps with anyone available but won’t let go of long time on and off married lover Erica Berger. This has cost him his marriage and a several lovers.
Lisbeth Lasander is a unique and original heroine.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an enjoyable read with a gripping story but it has flaws that may make one feel cheated at the end even without over analysing it.
Mikael Blomvisk is portrayed as, and believes himself to be an ethical and professional journalist of the highest calibre, set apart from his peers who only regurgitate what the business sector tells them.
But when Blomkvist eventually deals with the Wennerstrom affair he relies solely on the dangerous Lisbeth Salander to expose the truth.
He brings down the bad guy by knowingly committing serious criminal offences which no journalist with even just an iota of integrity would dream of perpetrating.
Characterisation, Plot, Revenge and Journalistic Ethics
Blomkvist gets his revenge without using his journalistic skills to research, cultivate sources, secure documents and unearth credible witnesses. It’s a bit like Watson and Creek using a thief to steal research papers on DNA and then claiming to have cracked the genetic code and winning a Nobel Prize for it. We all know they did the work and were worth winners, but not Blomkvist.
Blomkvist’s personal and professional integrity is further exposed as a fraud by the way he handles the skeletons he finds in the Vanger dynasty cupboard.
A Journalist’s Handiwork
One gets the impression that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is three narratives hastily put together. Each is written differently and none of them reaches a satisfying conclusion.
The presentation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is also unusual in that large chunks of dialogue are interspersed with reports on Lisbeth Salander and research on Vanger’s assignment.
There is little doubt that the author is a journalist not a novelist.
Stieg Larsson’s talent lies in making The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a mesmerising read despite its gross shortcomings. It’s rather feels like eating a poorly prepared meal made from less than ideal ingredients that you nevertheless enjoy.
Is it worth reading the next books in the trilogy? Yes it is because The Girl with the Dragon is an intriguing read.
About Stieg Larsson
Stieg Larrson was a Swedish journalist and editor of Expo from 1999. He is the author of the Millenium Trilogy, which has sold more than 3 million copies in Sweden. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first in the series. Its sequel is The Girl who Played with Fire. The rounds of the trilogy.He died unexpectedly in 2004, before his books became a worldwide success.
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Originally inSweden by Norstedts Agency in 2005, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was first published in Great Britain in 2008 by MacLehose Press. ISBN: 9781847245458
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