Again, I've been obsessed lately with reading books right before the movie comes out. After I read the Help, I anxiously started watching movie previews to see if anything new was coming out before I was forced to turn to my pile of pre-purchased books that I'm not excited about, but feel obligated to read. Luckily, I wasn't disappointed.
The previews for the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo looked awesome. I'd heard some things about it before, mainly that it was the first of a 3-book series that was becoming incredibly popular. But I didn't realize it was a murder-mystery thriller. When I have access to cable TV and full privileges over the remote control, these are almost always the kind of shows I turn on: Law and Order, Dexter, Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS. I really enjoy shows where you spend the entire episode trying to solve a problem. A good crime show will have several plot twists and potential suspects that keep you guessing until the very end. Also, it's almost always really exciting, since the story is so unpredictable and dangerous. I've never read a book like this, but I figured that if I loved murder-mystery TV shows and movies, I would probably love a murder-mystery book. And, at the very least, I would be able to see the movie afterwards-- even if the book wasn't phenomenal.
The story was so good. So good. There were several suspects, none of which were obvious. There were so many plot twists and, just when you thought you for sure had it figured out, it twisted again! The premise of the story is about a Swedish journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, who had recently been convicted and penalized with a large fine and a few months in prison for writing an article about a large corporate business which the court had deemed to be libel. Soon after, he was contacted by an old man from another large corporate business, Henrik Vanger, who offered to pay him money to temporarily work for him. Vanger told him that he would officially hire him to write his autobiography, but secretly he really wanted him to investigate the murder of his niece, Harriet. She went missing 36 years earlier on the island his entire extended family lived on in Northern Sweden, and he had concluded after several years of research that she had most definitely been murdered, and it was most definitely by someone in the family. And, when he explains the facts, you realize this is probably the case. When Blomkvist is reluctant to accept the assignment, Vanger offers to give him inside information on the business that brought him to court which would restore his reputation, his newspaper, and career. And so he agrees, and spends an entire year investigating the murder.
Parallel to this story, the book follows the life of a young woman, Lisbeth Salander, who has a difficult past which has ultimately resulted in her being a ward of the state. To most people she appears to be incompetent and socially awkward, but she is actually incredibly smart and works as an investigator-- one of the best in her company. Initially, she is hired by Vanger to investigate Blomkvist before he hired him, but ultimately Blomkvist asks her to help him investigate Harriet's murder.
A couple things: the beginning is incredibly slow and the end is incredibly slow. But the overall story more than makes up for it. Also, there are parts that are incredibly painful to read about, and in the movie, they are just as hard to watch. It might actually be even worse to watch it. I definitely couldn't have watched it alone.
Also, funny story, when Brian and I went to see the movie, they literally carded me at the door. I mean, I understand it's an intense movie and they don't want children to sneak in to see it. And I also understand that I look young. But do I HONESTLY look like I'm under 17? Please.
Despite the slow parts and the painful scenes, I would still highly recommend the movie/book. I really enjoyed them both.
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