A review by syllareads
Verblendung by Stieg Larsson
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I finally picked up book 1 of the Millenium series and I was not disappointed.
The girl with the dragon tattoo (or, the German title "Verblendung", as I read it in German) is the first book in Stieg Larsson's critically acclaimed Millenium series, a slew of books that deal with Mikael Blomkvist, founder of the independent paper "Millenium" (no doubt the reason why this series bears its title), who stumbles over a mystery in book one that he cannot quite let go of. Not exactly because he wants to solve it out of curiosity, but because the "owner" of said mystery, a millionaire named Henrik Vanger, pays him a hefty sum after an article gone awry. Instead of Mikael seeing himself without a job after he's gotten himself into legal trouble over defamation, he gains a simple job: pretend to write a family chronicle while in fact digging for the root of another mystery that has plagued an old man for years: What happened to Harriet Vanger, who vanished off a closed-off island in 1966?
Off to a slow start, Larsson gives himself a good 100+ pages to set the entire stage for his mystery but after the pace picks up, there's not one quiet moment for our MCs who could not be more different: Mikael is soon joined by Lisbeth Salander, a young 24-year-old woman who could not be more different to him if she tried. These two, when finally meeting on-page, make for an iconic if strange duo that mainly functions because Mikael simply accepts everything Lisbeth throws at him and Lisbeth thrives from the freedom he provides her through his actions. After upping the pace like that, Larsson's gritty mystery continues until a finale that left me devouring the pages at breakneck speed. I also fully appreciated the way he doesn't simply cut off the story when all is said and done but gives his characters and readers a chance to catch their breath in his final act of weaving every last bit of story together.
I'm eager to read book two, The girl who played with fire, this month and I hope to continue thinking rather highly of this series!
The girl with the dragon tattoo (or, the German title "Verblendung", as I read it in German) is the first book in Stieg Larsson's critically acclaimed Millenium series, a slew of books that deal with Mikael Blomkvist, founder of the independent paper "Millenium" (no doubt the reason why this series bears its title), who stumbles over a mystery in book one that he cannot quite let go of. Not exactly because he wants to solve it out of curiosity, but because the "owner" of said mystery, a millionaire named Henrik Vanger, pays him a hefty sum after an article gone awry. Instead of Mikael seeing himself without a job after he's gotten himself into legal trouble over defamation, he gains a simple job: pretend to write a family chronicle while in fact digging for the root of another mystery that has plagued an old man for years: What happened to Harriet Vanger, who vanished off a closed-off island in 1966?
Off to a slow start, Larsson gives himself a good 100+ pages to set the entire stage for his mystery but after the pace picks up, there's not one quiet moment for our MCs who could not be more different: Mikael is soon joined by Lisbeth Salander, a young 24-year-old woman who could not be more different to him if she tried. These two, when finally meeting on-page, make for an iconic if strange duo that mainly functions because Mikael simply accepts everything Lisbeth throws at him and Lisbeth thrives from the freedom he provides her through his actions. After upping the pace like that, Larsson's gritty mystery continues until a finale that left me devouring the pages at breakneck speed. I also fully appreciated the way he doesn't simply cut off the story when all is said and done but gives his characters and readers a chance to catch their breath in his final act of weaving every last bit of story together.
I'm eager to read book two, The girl who played with fire, this month and I hope to continue thinking rather highly of this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Incest, Murder, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Racism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual content and Car accident