2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
[In this case it's books that no longer fit my personal tastes, and are of such monstrous sizes and density I cannot see myself rereading them.]
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original (embarrassing and naïve and oh-goddess-it's-been-years) Review:
I finally have time to write a review of ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’. Though given how long it took me to get around to it, and that my first attempt inexplicably got lost during the editing process, it might not come out as epic as I’d originally intended when I first finished reading the book.
‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’ is easier to critique for its flaws than with its predecessor. While I loved ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, I am aware that it had problems. But because of the overall scope of its mystery, characters and atmosphere, I easily overlooked any weaknesses in the writing. It was the most gripping, bleak, disturbing and thrilling work of crime fiction I've ever had the pleasure to read. Now in reviewing its sequel, I think I can talk more in depth about Stieg Larsson’s bestselling series, especially when its flaws are more apparent this time around. I still love it – not as much as the first installment, but there’s plenty of love left nonetheless.
So let me type up what I think to be the flaws of ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’ first of all:
There are a lot of characters to keep track of. The blurb promises a double-murder mystery, but that murder doesn't happen 'til about 200 pages in, so not much exciting action happens beforehand. During which the reader has to go through many long descriptive passages and pointless accounts of day-to-day routines (chiefly concerning Lisbeth). I figured out the plot twist before it was revealed (although that was about 20 pages before the revealing itself). Blomkvist’s daughter – who played a vital-albeit-brief part in helping him to solve the mystery in the last novel – isn't mentioned at all here, despite him having a family Christmas dinner at one point. It’s like Blomkvist never had children (his ex-wife is only referred to in one paragraph). And the mathematics theme is to me rather meaningless when you analyze the mystery as a whole.
However, similar to its predecessor, its merits are not only founded, but are profound. Let’s talk about the characters:
Mikael Blomkvist – Despite obviously being Larsson’s self-insertion, he is a good guy with realistic flaws. He is a ladies man who even got Lisbeth to fall for him, and he seems to have no standards when it comes to sleeping with any woman whom sex (especially when it’s casual) should be the very last thing on her mind. But his journalism skills and determination to seek the truth are admirable, and also cathartic in a world that is corrupt and obsessed with propaganda. He isn’t selfish or disrespectful. And while I am slightly disappointed that Blomkvist’s daughter and ex-wife don’t appear in his life anymore (so it seems), his sister, Annika, a lawyer, plays a major role in the second book’s plot. He has purely platonic relationships with women as well, and I love that when he works with a female colleague (Eriksson, I think her name is), it is never brought up whether he wants to sleep with her or not. They are business partners and friends, nothing more. What a relief!
Lisbeth Salander – I think I love you more than ever. She is at the pinnacle of well-written female characters in fiction. Don’t be fooled by her childlike body and records of mental instability; she is a frightful force to be reckoned with. An abuse and rape survivor, she will fight and take advantage of whoever dares to do her harm. She is nobody’s victim. ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ sees her skills, strengths and thought processes and how she uses them to assist Blomkvist in solving a case, and ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’ explores her backstory more, and her growth and improvement in her abilities and assertiveness. I find it funny that whenever her twin sister Camilla is mentioned, someone says something along the lines of, “Oh God, there’s two of her?” Bisexual (although she hates labels – there’s one thing we share in common), a computer hacker, an arse-kicker, a motorbike rider, and a development case in learning to trust and respect others again (not necessarily authority figures), I thank Mr Larsson in Heaven for this wonderful creation.
Some people say Lisbeth is too indestructible; that against impossible odds she always survives and wins over every situation she comes across. In response to this claim I will present this argument: Nobody bats an eye when a perfect, Byronic male hero such as James Bond gets out of any scrap thrown at him, hunky-dory. Why not have female heroes do the same? Why can’t a woman save her own person and not wait for a man to come rescue her when she can clearly take care of herself? Lisbeth Salander is an endearing and interesting heroine with many personality flaws to grow out of in her story, and so this balances out the moments of suspension-of-disbelief when she survives what would have ended a human being. In fact it makes the reader WANT to see her live to achieve her well-intentioned goals, and it is intense when it looks like she might be in serious danger with no chance of escaping her circumstances. There are a lot of male heroes – in fiction, mythology etc. – with no notable flaws or interests and are, from a story viewpoint, static and boring; this may be because they are the creator’s and audiences’ projection of a wish-fulfillment male power fantasy. Lisbeth struggles through danger and uses her abilities and gifts to survive them – because she utilizes them as her strengths. It isn't so easy to pity her or feel the need to protect her then. Her superhuman traits are only a small part of her when compared to her weaknesses which she never gives up on overcoming in her everyday life.
She is a survivor – and that is the point of her character.
Throughout the majority of ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’, Blomkvist and Lisbeth only interact via computers, so there is less banter between these two who are characteristically polar opposites. This is understandable since Lisbeth has been avoiding Mikael after finding out about his relationships with other women, and she is now wanted internationally for a triple murder. This novel explores the relationship between these truth-seeker protagonists further, and it is far more complex and fascinating than before.
My other favourite characters (and like I stated, there are many) include: Erika Berger, Dag Svensson, Holger Palmgren, Miriam Wu, Sonja Modig, Inspector Jan Bublanski, Paolo Roberto, Annika, and Armansky. Advokat Bjurman, Faste and all the other misogynists, murderers and/or rapists can go and die painful deaths.
The story – once it gets going halfway through – is compelling and as rich in detail as in the first book. One of its aspects is that it superbly reflects how the policing, journalism and psychology worlds would react to a double-to-triple murder, especially when they already have a suspect who they cannot find and is a hell of a lot smarter than they originally thought. Lisbeth Salander is under guardianship and has a documented history of mental illness and violence, so she is an easy target for authority figures to suspect her of being a murderer. A so-called lesbian, satanic cultist murderer at that; things that journalists love to eat up for shock value. The climax is one of the most frightening, bizarre and exciting I've read in years, and it cemented my decision to give this novel five stars instead of four.
‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’ – so the road is a little bumpy on the way towards its destination; in the end I adored it. Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy is becoming one of my favourite book series, and I can’t wait to get around to plowing through the final installment.
Final Score: 4.5/5
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