Lisbeth Salander

An exercise: Take a few minutes to think how Pipi Longstocking would look if she were an adult. Ok. Done envisioning? Now go read “The girl with the dragon tattoo”, don’t read the other Stieg Larsson books. Just don’t. I’ll tell you why.

The first book was a joy to read. It had a good plot. Great characters. Very strong female characters. Female characters that weren’t dependant on men, which is something I’m relieved of for a change. Also, there is Lisbeth Salander.

She is, to me, the most interesting character I’ve read int he past so many years. You have to know that I don’t read much fiction, but I watch movies and series and get to know a lot of fiction, thanks to my girlfriend.

Most characters nowadays are cardboard cut-outs. They have nothing special about them. One of my favourite characters from fiction is Snape. He has dimension. He is by far the most interesting character from Harry Potter, just because we know so little about him. We know he was in love with Harry’s motter, but why does he care so much now, after all those years? How strong was his love (we see it in the books).

We learn very early that something in Lisbeth’s past has done something to her. Something that is so terrible, that it has messed up her whole future. In book 2 you get to know what it is, but please, don’t ruin your curiosity. Don’t go read it. Please don’t. You will ruin the character for yourself. You will be dissapointed.

I had the same feeling I had when I read this fact, as when I finished “Sophie’s world”. I had the same feeling as I watched Hannibal Rising.

Some literary facts should never be told. I’m intrigued by Snape’s character just because I know so little about him. I know very little details about his life. I know the key facts. I know why Lily and Snape fell apart, otherwhise they would have been a couple (Imagine that!).

The thing that coloured Lisbeth Salander’s past isn’t that spectacular, and I would be glad to pay to get the thing it actually is wiped out of my memory. I thought it would be much worse than it actually was.

I have things in my past that are worse than the thing that shoudl supposedly have coloured her past. So to me, it is utterly unbelievable. The second book reads like a bad first draft. The first book was wonderful. Great characters, great plot, everything. Book 2, not so much. Although… Lisbeth Salander remains a very, very interesting character that would easily have stould on it’s own in the books. Blomkvist was unnessary the moment Lisbeth arrived on the scene and began to take over.