Stieg Larsson – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
July 30th, 2010 by Jamie Megson
You would be forgiven for assuming that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is just another drop in the vast ocean of crime fiction, indistinguishable from the previous monotonous and clichéd offering. It has all the typical features- the murder mystery, the engaging and charismatic protagonist, a monumental twist, and so on. Yet despite sharing these features, this novel, the first in Larsson’s ‘Millennium trilogy’, is a truly fresh offering, blending together a range of elements from different genres in such an elegant and seamless way that the often overused maxim ‘unputdownable’ can for once be used with a degree of credibility.
The plot centres equally around two main protagonists. Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist facing a jail term for libel, who is hired by the head of the dynastic Vanger Corporation to investigate the disappearance of his niece nearly forty years earlier. Lisbeth Salander, a young woman, declared mentally unsound with a tormented past, and yet a genius hacker and an outstanding private investigator. Gradually their paths cross as they both struggle to figure out the Vanger mystery, unearthing well hidden, often disturbing family secrets along the way.
What makes this stand out from other crime fiction novels is that it tackles more than just the traditional fodder of the typical genre – at various points in the plot, there are elements of psycho analysis, a critique of the Swedish mental- health system, a reliance upon theology and symbology to solve certain riddles, as well as romantic elements contrasted with brutal violence, and parts touching upon journalistic practice, corporate fraud, woman’s rights and the abuse of power in general. Larsson has without doubt taken on an ambitious task, but he excels at interweaving these different and often conflicting themes into a brilliantly fast paced and engaging narrative. There is a healthy balance to all these elements, and the plot flows smoothly without the feeling of suffocation that can occur when an author focuses heavily on a specific element- such as Dan Brown’s heavy reliance upon symbology, or the extended use of forensics and police procedure in James Patterson’s novels.
The characters of Salander and Blomkvist are well developed, and Larsson’s style provides an intricate insight into their lives, giving us access to their innermost thoughts and feelings whilst retaining an objective tone. He seamlessly switches between the cold, precise thoughts and feelings of Salander to the more emotionally charged, sensitive yet professional mind of Blomkvist. Later on the interaction between the two characters is mesmerizing, as we see their relationship blossom despite their polar opposite personas, and we hunger for more information about their lives as they gradually reveal their secrets to each other. A lot is left unresolved, certain aspects are given a brief ambiguous explanation, possibly (and hopefully) in anticipation of their resolution in the following two novels. Like any skilled writer of a ‘locked-room mystery’ Larsson drip feeds us information about these two remarkable characters, but we are constantly left with the feeling he has kept hidden more than he has revealed- a perfect balance between intimacy and mystery.
Yet the supporting characters seem overshadowed by these two colossal figures within the narrative. Each character is given his or her brief introduction, painting a rough picture of them, but yet very few are developed in any depth, and only a few members of the extensive Vanger family feel more than just one dimensional ‘stock’ figures. No more is this the case than with the ‘villain’ of the novel- a wasted opportunity for a more developed evil within the book, which would have provided an excellent contrast to the well rounded and detailed protagonists. It almost seems as if the supporting cast’s function is purely to provide opportunity for more insight into the lives of Salander and Blomkvist by their interactions with the various other characters, rather than standing alone as objects of interest in their own right. They seem to just pop in and pop out, serving their purpose as disposable ‘foils’ for Larsson to meticulously develop his two protagonists.
This is a truly ground breaking novel, a hybrid if you will, combining many elements of popular fiction in a perfect balance that never feels clogged or overly complex. In Salander and Blomkvist he creates characters who are both memorable, intriguing and mysterious, whom we crave to know more about. Larsson’s skill is not in creating people that we all empathise with or can find some element of them in ourselves, but in the opposite- creating those who are an enigma to us. Normally it is the socially unstable villain who we struggle to understand, but in this case Larsson brilliantly endows this attribute upon his heroes. Salander, the social introvert, and Blomkvist, the jaded journalist, provide a challenge for us a readers to unravel their mysteries and find out more about their multi- faceted personas.
And the ending, typically of Larsson, keeps far more hidden than it reveals, teasing us with a conclusion that draws one into the second book in the saga, The Girl who Played with Fire.
No related posts.
I’m a blogger myself and I discovered your article to be extremely interesting. Good job for the write-up, and I’ve just became subscribed to your blog site.