The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

This book slowly reels you in and you are not quite sure what the story is about because there are so many layers. The original title of the book is Men Who Hate Women.  The story is gripping pulls you in with small details like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey/horse. Whatever, you know what I mean.

The best part to me is towards the end. Even after the mystery is solved there are still bigger mysteries to solve. I truly enjoy the challenge of thinking about and working through the dilemma the author poses at the end. How do you choose between two evils when your integrity is at stake and there are no clear winners?  I enjoyed how everything about the story challenges the way I think about life and the culture we live in.

The story reminds you that you have no idea what the people who live near you or that you come in contact with everyday are doing behind closed doors. What deep secrets is the person sitting next to you or standing in front of you keeping? Are you being studied or watched by some crazy stalker, rapist or killer? Please don’t feel paranoid, I don’t but I do feel aware and alert to my surroundings. This was an intense wonderful read. Oh by the way it is extremely scary how easy it is to hack into your computer. I’m not trying to scare you – LOL!

The movie does a great job illustrating the violence in the book. I wonder if the American version will be as bold and forthright.

Larson lists a few facts about women and violence in Sweden. This is the saddest one to me:  Ninety-two percent of women in Sweden who have been subjected to sexual assault have not reported the most recent violent incident to the police.

The Storyline - Harriet Vanger disappeared over 40 years ago. Her 80 year old uncle is still consumed with her disappearance and hires journalist Mikael Bloomkvist to investigate. Along the way Lisbeth Salander, a troubled young woman covered in tattoos, is hired to help him solve the puzzle. Together they uncover so much more than the disappearance of a teenage girl.