Larsson's Millennium Trilogy

If you haven't read or heard of the Millennium Trilogy then perhaps you have been living under a rock for the last 6 years.  Stieg Larsson's best selling crime novels, translated from Swedish, include The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked A Hornet's Nest.  Perhaps you do have some literary awareness, have read the series and yearn for more by this author… sorry! Larson died just a few months after the first novel was released in 2004

Larsson witnessed a violent sexual assault on a young girl when he was only fifteen and, as an adult, expressed regret that he did not intervene.   The girl's name was Lisbeth.  He titled his first novel "Men Who Hate Women" and made Lisbeth Salander the protagonist. The U.S. publication was re-titled The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Sexual violence against women is prominent through this title as well as the sequels. 

Central to all of the stories are the characters Salander, the girl who..., and middle-aged Mikael Blonkvist, an investigative journalist for the political magazine Millennium (hence the Millennium trilogy).  Salander is a petite, young, antisocial, private investigator with a penchant for learning, revenge, and computer-hacking.  An unlikely team, Salander saves Blonkvist's life in the first novel and he, in turn, rescues her in later stories.

Be aware that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo begins with a tedious explanation of Blonkvist's fall from grace due to his exposé of the Wennerstrom affair.   A hundred pages later, if persistence prevails, the story captivates as Blonkvist accepts a free-lance assignment for octogenarian Henrik Vanger.  Vanger charges him with solving the disappearance, some 40 years prior, of his beloved heiress niece. Salander gets involved and of course the inevitable love affair occurs as they go about turning the Vanger world upside-down.

Novels two and three are actually Part A and Part B of the same story.  Early on in The Girl Who Played with Fire, a triple murder takes place and Salander is accused.  She goes underground as a massive mob-mentality man hunt ensues.  It is in this book, that the tragic and abusive upbringing of Salander is revealed.  The novel comes to a close as Blonkvist rescues the severely wounded Salander from a grave.  Part B, The Girl Who Kicked Hornet's Nest, begins with Salander locked away in a hospital and fighting for her life. Despite the fact that Salander has proven her innocence in the triple murder, the courts believe she still has to answer for other misdeeds.  Blonkvist orchestrates a happy ending by revealing the true identity of her father and exposing “The Section,” the secret government agency that protected her father at the expense of Salander’s well-being.

If you are searching for a book with literary merit, one that will be taught in literature classes ten years from now, pass these by.  If you are looking for a good read, a page-turner, a well-crafted crime mystery, then head to your nearest library, borrow copies from a friend, or download them to your e-reader.   The over abundance of characters with unfamiliar Swedish names is a challenge, especially in the last novel with its extensive cast of policemen, politicians, special investigators, and journalists.  Also, Larsson tends to dwell, at times, on minor and tedious details, such as what they had for dinner or what groceries Salander would buy.  

Swedish versions of the movie have been released.  Apparently an American version is already in the making but it is uncertain how the movies can be improved other than to remove the subtitles.  The movies are true to the story and feature superb acting by actors and actresses unknown to American viewers.  The screen versions, having removed the mundane descriptions of groceries and meals, come across a bit darker and more violent and sexually explicit than the novels.

The Millennium book series will be the topic of discussion at Kent State University at East Liverpool's MUSE Group on February 8 at 6:30 in the Main Classroom Building.  MUSE is free and open to the public and refreshments (wine, soft drinks, and hors d’oerves cheese) will be served.  All three books will be discussed and it is recommended that participants read, at least, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” before attending.  To receive additional information about the program or to get on the MUSE Group mailing list, call 330-382-7421.