Thu Feb 09 2012
One of the most memorable — and certainly unique — fictional characters I’ve ever come across can be found in three recent books by Stieg Larsson. The series, translated from Swedish, began with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” followed by “The Girl Who Played with Fire” (both now in paperback), and finally the long-awaited third book, “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” is out. The series is really like one long novel and should, by all means, be read in order so that the complex plots, background stories, and thousand details can be absorbed as the author planned. Combined, they make a truly satisfying reading experience.
The real joy is in the two main characters: Lisbeth Salander, the “girl” in all the titles, and Mikael Blomkvist, the financial journalist who becomes her ally. I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but I’ll give you a brief synopsis. In book one, Blomkvist is hired by a multi-millionaire to solve an old family mystery — a take-off on a “locked-room” murder. After he contacts a private security firm to dig up information, he hires Salander. Salander is such a complicated character! She’s rail thin, has the brain of a savant, is a word-class computer hacker, may or may not have autistic issues, and was “deemed to be emotionally disturbed and dangerously violent” when she was younger, after what she calls “All the Evil” happened.
If the theme of the first book is identity, then the theme of book two is sex. A journalist is investigating the international sex trade, and people involved in illicit activities aren’t happy about being exposed in the press. When Salander is accused of multiple murders, she is just crucified by the media. The book shows the incompetence and stubborn single-sightedness of some law enforcement personnel and journalists. Book three, “Hornet’s Nest,” picks up with Salander in a hospital bed, trying to clear her name — and stay alive. The plot includes government secrets and cover-ups. There’s a boatload of background information (maybe even too much). Book three’s theme would be truth, and the overarching theme of the trilogy is the ill treatment of women. “Salander was the woman who hated men who hate women.”
The plots are completely involving. In book one, the action was so intense I had to take breaks; I forgot I was reading, and I was utterly lost inside the book’s setting. It’s a stunner. The way Larsson invents Salander is simply remarkable. Through all three books (each of which is about 600 pages), he keeps adding layer upon layer to her personality and her back story. And there are whole big subplots, including insights into the publishing business. The plots are intricate and brilliant, and I realized early on that the translator also did a fantastic job. Besides the adult language and situations, there is violence — grievous violence. Seriously. It isn’t for the faint-hearted. The end of book three is one of my favorite endings of all time. Larsson, who died in 2004, was a truly gifted writer, and knowing we’ll never meet Lisbeth Salander again makes me sad. Pick up book one, gird your loins, and get ready for one-two-three of the best summer reads of your life.
In contrast, “The Postmistress” by Sarah Blake is a slow, luxurious read. The novel is set in 1941 near Cape Cod and in London. Iris James is the postmaster of a small Massachusetts town, where she runs the post office in an orderly manner. But the character I’ll remember is Frankie Bard, “radio gal.” She’s an American who’s working for CBS in London, and her co-worker is none other than Edward R. Murrow. Every night, over the radio, Frankie tells her American audience about the London Blitz — the bombings, the shelters, how people disappear, how life goes on. Her roommate, a stringer for the Associated Press, is compiling reports about the Nazis and is trying to find out why the Germans are moving the Jews around. Frankie goes into Germany to find out for herself. The war is really part of everything and of everyone’s life, and the book conveys “that wars are being waged right now.”
Holy cow, this is beautiful writing! Throughout the first part, I kept re-reading phrases that sounded like poetry, such as the explanation of Frankie’s job: “In radio, the story flew into the air, from lips to ear — like a secret finding its immediate spot in the dark lodges of the brain — the dome of the sky collapsing space, and the world become a great whispering gallery for us all.” The book’s ending sort of fizzled away, but the rest is such sweet reading that it was OK. It’s lyrical, then suspenseful and even shocking. Adult language and situations.
After reading “I Thought You Were Dead” by Pete Nelson, it’s going to be hard to forget Stella the dog, who carries on conversations with Paul Gustavson, a middle-aged man who isn’t having much success in life. He’s out of shape, he drinks too much, he tells corny jokes, he’s recently divorced; he’s happily dating a lovely lady, but he’s not so happy that she’s also dating another man. However, he does have that wonderful dog. It’s the dog, by the way, who says the title line, because “Stella had no sense of permanence and therefore assumed Paul was dead whenever he was out of sight, hearing, or smell.” When Paul’s father has a stroke, life starts to catch up with him; he’s forced to make some decisions and begins to realize it’s time he grew up.
Stella offers her unique perspective on life, mixed with a biting sense of humor. Says Stella: “Everything is a question of food. Everything except where you lie down. And even that has to be somewhere near food.” The humor, often subtle, is also in all the details of Paul’s life and friends. I even found myself laughing out loud. The book sort of ambushed me. It was so funny, I didn’t realize when it was getting serious. And then I cried. The ending is a nice surprise. It’s about relationships: dog/owner, siblings, parent/child, lovers. It might have been considered “chick lit” if it had been about a woman, but it’s really deeper than that. I enjoyed it. It brings to mind “The Art of Racing in the Rain.” Adult language and situations.
Copyright © 2010 by Mary Louise Ruehr.
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BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online
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Check out my blog on books, inspiration, fun and thought-provoking goodies! It’s called “Shine A Light!”
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For best-seller lists and more book news, go to:
http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4848489
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Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns. More links are available on my blog at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/one-for-the-books/
True-Life Adventure for Dad -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4842039
Rainy Day Books for Children -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4835050
Questions of Identity -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4826618
Lives of Real Women -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4817982
A Bit of Southern Hospitality -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4813799
Marriage -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4805797
Politicians Behaving Badly -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4796121
A Vicarious Vacation in Ireland -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4786929
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Thanks for reading One for the Books. Please let us know what kind of book news you’d like to see on this page. Send e-mail to Books@recordpub.com. Send other mail to Mary Louise Ruehr, Books Editor, Record-Courier, 126 N. Chestnut St. (P.O. Box 1201), Ravenna, OH 44266.
“One for the Books” appears the second and fourth Fridays of the month in the Record-Courier.
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