Book Log 2010 #55: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

A couple of summers ago it didn't seem like I could travel on the T without encountering someone - usually a woman - reading this book. I didn't think much about it, assuming it was some form of chick lit, albeit an odd one given the title (no mention of shopping, dating or fashion), cover art (abstract, title in plain bold font), and author (male). I eventually sorted out that the books were more of a general audience mystery/thriller, and even more eventually landed a copy.

I did enjoy the book quite a bit, especially the interplay between the main characters, the strait-laced journalist Mikael Blomqvist and the Aspergery hacker genius Lisbeth Salander. Together they unravel the disappearance (and potential killing) of a teenaged girl several decades ago, at the behest of a well known industrialist. The other story line - involving Blomqvist's libel sentence, jail time and the impact it has on the magazine where he works - doesn't do as much for me, but it's an interesting juxtaposition to the increasingly dark history unearthed in the missing person investigation.

It's pretty easy to see how this book appealed to women, given Salander's intelligence and independence. That she functions as she does given her obvious issues - she trusts no one, has no social graces and was clearly damaged by something she calls "All the Evil" - add layers of complexity that make her character that much more intriguing.

By all means give this a read.