BOW:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hello Readers! This week's BOW offers a distinct change from the last few titles found on the blog, but I hope you'll agree that this variety is a good thing. So what sets Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo apart from works like Waiting for the Barbarians and Man Walks into a Room? Pretty much everything!

First and foremost, this "taut psychological thriller" (don't you just love phrases like that, which always end up being strung together, almost as if they were one word instead of three? Another example is the phrase "heaving bosoms;" I don't believe I've ever heard bosoms referred to without said reference then mentioning that they are in fact heaving. Actually, it kind of reminds me of the German language, in which words tend to be epically long. For example, the word "windshield" is "windschutzscheibe," combining the german words for "glass," "protect," and "wind." Another outrageous example is "rolltreppenbenutzungshinweise," which includes the words "rolling," "stair," "use," and "tips," and translates into "tips for using the escalator"--because obviously the Germans need a word for directions about using something that is pretty darn self-explanatory. Anyway, I digress...) Like I was saying, this taut psychological thriller is decidedly plot-driven, with no-nonsense chronological dates serving as the chapter titles for a fast-paced and contemporary "whodunnit" set over a single-year span. I don't frequently read books of this genre--with the brief but glorious exception of the second grade, when I got really into Agatha Christie in general and her book And Then There Were None in particular--but every once in a while a little criminal mystery really hits the spot, especially when its well written, as TGWTDT is.

Besides the gripping storyline, I think the most intriguing aspect of this book is its exploration of personal vs. societal responsibility when it comes to criminal actions. This issue takes on deeper resonance you realize that the book's author--who passed away before his novels were published--witnessed a terrible crime at the age of 15 and did not intervene to help the victim Based on the novel's harrowing content, we can be pretty sure his lack of action haunted him for a long, long time.

Now, I don't want to get to much into the story itself, because I think it's the unexpected twists and turns that make it such a darkly fun ride. If you have read it though, I'd love to hear what you think, so do post your comments! Also, it turns out that there is a Hollywood film adaptation slated for a December 2011 release, and many of the main characters have already been cast (see here). Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger is a total no-brainer, but Daniel Craig as Mikael kind of threw me for a loop. Thoughts?? Btdubs-If you loved the book and simply can't wait another year-plus to see it in film form, check out the European version, which came out in 2009.

And now for those of you who haven't read TGWTDT, I absolutely recommend it as lightweight or vacation read, as long as you can handle the occasional and obligatory graphic sexual violence that goes hand in hand with a book whose original Swedish title translates into Men Who Hate Women. As a bonus, this book is the first in the Millennium trilogy, meaning that if you do like main characters Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, you can spend more time with them in The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Speaking of which, that is exactly what I plan to do. That's right, this week's BOW will be none other than the second book in Larsson's trilogy, because quite frankly I want to stay on this rollercoaster ride a little bit longer (plus I didn't have enough time or money in my bank account to make it over to Border's for my typical once-a-month tell-myself-I'm-investing-in-my-blog-so-it's-totally-okay-to-buy-four-books-at-once-I'm-helping-people-after-all-and-don't-we-all-need-a-hobby-shopping trip). I hope you'll join me!