Publishers must think that readers in America and Great Britain are either prudish or simple or both. Someone in the publishing world decided that readers would not buy an English translation of a book with the title Men Who Hate Women, which is the original name for the first novel in Stieg Larsson’s crime thriller trilogy. Marketers probably believed that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was sexier, more appealing and perhaps a more mysterious title that would pique readers’ interests. Perhaps a sexy title would distract from all the problems in this strange mess of a book (that oddly entices, repulses, intrigues, and bores me in an alternating sequence.) This book has so many problems that it is best to get them out of the way immediately:
1. Granted the title is catchy and provocative, but it is hugely misleading. Although the rail-thin, emotionally damaged girl with the dragon tattoo, properly known as Lisbeth Salander, is a crucial part of the novel, she is by no means the main protagonist and plays only a moderate role in the novel’s plot, suspense, and action. This book is truly about men who hate women. Salander, who at one point is described as the perfect victim, is an example of a female that has been hated by men specifically and exploited under a patriarchal order her whole life. But, she is just one of the many characters in this book.
2. This 590 page book is about 300 pages of unedited, unnecessary rubbish that meanders and takes up space. The intended financial intrigue is anything but intriguing and could be completely cut from the book, particularly in the last few chapters following such a thrilling climax. Plus, the entire detailed family lineage is cumbersome.
3. Alone Salander and Michael Blomviskt are emotionally dysfunction flat characters. The story drags through their introductions and personal travails. Together, they ignite the novel and make pages practically turn themselves. It should not have taken 300 pages for the characters to meet.
4. With the exception Henrik Vanger, there are no positive portrayals of men (even Blomvist is severely flawed). And, the villains are just pure evil. The best villains in literature are complex with a streak of good that is dominated by their more sinister ways.
5. The plot and subplots reach a ridiculous level of absurdity and improbability, but yet the ride into ludicrousness is quite exhilarating.
6. The references to technology will eventually make the book feel dated before its time.
7. The relationship between Erica Berger and Blomviskt is unbelievable and poorly sketched. It is not likely that any husband would stand for his wife sleeping with another man that regularly for such a sustained period of time. Larsson gives us an on-paper scenario of the relationship without the complexities of human emotions. Likewise, most of the supporting cast members are either cardboard or tissue paper.
8. Finally, the biggest turn off for me and the main reason why I will not read the remaining two books: Excessive sexual violence with gratuitous details. Larsson’s portrayal of violence against women (and some men) is fascinating and I believe well-intended for advocacy and education, but the book would have been brought to a closer level of literary fiction if the violence would have been toned down, and the brutality would have been discussed in different terms. All those terrible things could have occurred with less gruesome depiction.
Although I am sure there are more things that I could list, why be nitpicky? Once readers get beyond a few stock supporting characters and the boring financial plot, they can devour this wonderful mess of a book that is an absolute page-turner in parts. Without a doubt, this is a mysterious and exhilarating crime thriller that may be more sophisticated than some of its contemporary peers. There are numerous umbrella themes in this novel that kept me hooked. (Book Club Moms, start thinking about these topics that we’ll be discussing tonight.) Here are some the best and most interesting themes, characters and events in this novel:
1. Sexual, physical and emotional abuse against women and children is the most dominant theme in the book. Although Larsson goes to great length to provide gory details, he is not necessarily being exploitative of women and children. With the inclusion of the sexual assault statistics at the beginning of each section, Larsson is educating his readers. He is absolutely writing a parable of sorts (albeit twisted, complex and gratuitous at times). He seems to be taking an approach of advocacy against the violence towards women opposed to portraying it for commercial gain. (There is no doubt that is a debatable assertion.)
2. Although Lisbeth Salander is not the heart of the novel as the title suggests (Or, is she? A point worth discussing), she is a fascinating anti-hero. She is a young woman who is emotionally crippled and has been declared a ward of the state due to incompetency. But at the same time, she is a highly functional dysfunctional person. She is firm on her convictions: a bad life doesn’t give a person an excuse to abuse another person; if you have a problem fix it yourself and do what it takes to get the job done even if it means breaking the law. She is simultaneously simple and complex. But, it could be argued she is far simpler prior to meeting Blomvist. Her character really borders on cliché in the first half of the book. Was any one surprised that an attractive tattooed, leather-wearing girl with multiple piercing and nearly shaved hair was bi-sexual? That is a stock character from the 1990s. She becomes a far more original character when she inexplicably, unwittingly and unwillingly falls in the love with Blomvist. Salander is a new kind of feminist.
3. The romance between Salander and Blomvist buoys this book to a different level. Perhaps crime thriller aficionados did not take much notice of the romance, but it was really the only thing that motivated me to continue reading. I was only moderately interested in Harriet’s disappearance, vaguely interested in the serial killing subplot, didn’t really care about the crazy Vanger clan, was terrified by the violence and was completely bored by the Wennerstrom affair. Salander and Blomvist keep the book moving and their chemistry is complex, sexy, fascinating and passionate. Larsson’s masterfully pairs two damaged, unconventional protagonists to make a perverse super couple that solves crimes and helps to heal each other to some extent. The twists and turns of their relationship were more intriguing and mysterious than the mystery they were solving. The condition of their relationship on the final page of this book made me want to read the second book until I read the prologue of The Girl Who Played with Fire. All the violence starts up again, so I’ll just have to find a summary of the next two books to see what happens to Salander and Blomvist.
Other important things to consider: the link between Nazism and violence against women and children; the role of parental guidance or lack of it in the lives of these characters; friendship and trust; religious fanaticism, privacy, and journalistic ethics.
Although The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a highly flawed book, it cannot be dismissed as a genre read. Larsson tackles enough serious issues in this novel for to be considered social commentary. If it wasn’t for book club, I would have never read this book. But, I guess it doesn’t hurt to leave my comfort zone every ten or twelve years. Now back to E.M. Forster’s Howards End.
