The Girl who Played with Fire / Stieg Larsson

The Girl who Played with Fire

category: thriller, author:

Stieg Larsson

translated from Swedish by Reg Keeland
book 2 of Millennium
published by Maclehose Press,
original copyright 2006, read in August 2010

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

This book begins in a similar fashion to the first: slow, plodding, detailed. Then the excitement cranks up a notch... then the book reverts to its detailed plodding. But with a sharp edge of suspense because the threat has suddenly become more real.

Am I trying to say that this is a boring book?

No way!

Sure, it's written in a unique style. The author was an investigative journalist, the book is about an investigative journalist, the style is of detailed investigation. Nevertheless, the book is a thriller. Yet the enjoyment of this book is not just in it's "thriller" nature...

This needs an aside: "Thrillers are mostly characterised by an atmosphere of menace, violence, crime and murder by showing society as dark, corrupt and dangerous, though they often feature a happy ending in which the villains are killed or arrested" (from Wikipedia.) The Girl who Played with Fire is definitely a thriller. At times, a thriller in slow motion...

I enjoyed the book as a thriller. I also enjoyed it as a fictional expose of man's inhumanity to, well, women and girls. And I like the characters.

The good guys and gals are nice. There are people supposedly on the side of good who are really bad but, because they are on the side of good... they are just troublemakers. Only the nominated baddies are really evil. The Girl and her hero friend are both nice and sympathetic. The Girl, in particular is troubled but -- because her troubles are explained, and she does have a strong moral code -- she is extremely easy to cheer for.

Aside: In the front of the book are a number of excerpts from reviews of this book. One excerpt says, "Larsson's writing managed to make [Salander] intriguing, admirable, even sympathetic..." Even sympathetic?! Did that reviewer even read the book?!

To me, Salander (the heroine, the Girl) is wholly sympathetic. There is no way that you can read her history -- as revealed in this book -- and not be sympathetic to her character. Or is there?

Perhaps because Salander is a girl -- a woman, actually -- and has some power, and a willingness to use it... Perhaps that is threatening to some readers. Salander is highly intelligent, highly independent and has been punished for both of these. Perhaps her resilience and intelligence and strength is a threat, to at least one book reviewer. Perhaps the social message of the book is very, very necessary.

Perhaps -- I hope -- I am reading too much meaning into one word in a review.

One minor drawback to Fire -- which I actually liked -- was the existence of a third book. With a third book already published, there was no way that the heroine could be killed. For some, that would remove suspense. For me -- I like the solid expectation of a happy ending!

Fire is interesting for another reason: it is Swedish. Not many Swedish books published in English! It's interesting to read about a culture which is different enough from my own to be distinct.

Where else would a character spend all day shopping -- to completely furnish a new flat -- in Ikea?! Where else would a vicious thug drive a Volvo? Where else would an author name every street that his characters drive along -- and they nearly all end with 'vagan?! (Or something; I can't find a page to check my memory.) It all adds interest to a great story!

Fire has far more characters -- and story points of view -- than the first Millennium book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. After a while I almost gave up trying to follow the various characters. Still, the main plot was clear even if I was often confused by the variety of people. Many with strange Swedish names, too... though "Jerker" sounded almost Australian :-)

Fire unfolded several layers of plot, some so unexpected (perhaps only to me?) that they seemed almost deus ex machina. These were not related to the action, more to the motives. Hmmm... I do wonder... Were some of these revelations unexpected simply because I missed clues that would be obvious to someone who knew more about Sweden? Possibly... or possibly not.

And one further point where I am unsure: Is there a theme to the Millennium series?

Yes, books one and two are thrillers. With great characters. But is that the true point of the books?

As I was reading Fire I began to wonder, Did Larsson write these as thrillers? Or did he really write them as exposes of social injustice...

Either way, great books. I'm looking forward to the third.

..o0o..

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