"People always have secrets. It's just a matter of finding out what they are."
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
What I liked about this book from the start is Larsson's sense of pace. One of my frustrations with contemporary fiction is that either the pacing of the narrative or the quality of the writing inevitably lapses. I think this is true because so many writers are searching for a gimmick. They are not satisfied with the natural approach - plant some seeds in your story (decide on a theme that's important to you, get a basic sense of your protagonist's personality - just identify some meaningful starting point) and allow the action/the story to cultivate those & see where you end up. Instead, the author lacks this skill so they fall into one of two traps. Either they work too hard to create what they believe to be beautiful passages but what I view as simply ornate language, or what my friend would call "the bejeweled word." Beware of the bejeweled word! Often this tactic is pursued at the expense of the plot development. Or the writer gets so wrapped up in creating an original, interesting plot that they forget to pay attention to the quality of their writing.
The last person I expected to avoid these traps was a journalist. But Stieg Larsson knew how to write and he clearly knew how to write concisely. I also didn't expect a journalist to be so good at writing fiction. Writing a novel is drastically different than writing an article.
I think part of why Larsson is able to avoid these traps is because he's in no hurry to get the story started- instead he develops separate story threads for Vanger, Blomkvist, and Salander, and it's unknown how they will end up affecting each other. Vanger wants to solve the mystery of his niece's disappearance. Blomkvist wants to find out the truth about his past journalistic mistake. And Salander is trying to survive being able to live her way while she is still a ward of the state. It is unclear how these narrative threads are going to intersect - but the reader is expecting them to do so. Larsson takes his time building these threads - and therefore his story is stronger than most new fiction. It makes a good rhythm for the book. Also, he creates a fundamental theme that serves like the book's bedrock : this is violence against women. Every separate part of the book begins with some comment on the statistics of violence against women in Sweden. His facts are as follows:
1. 18% of the women in Sweden have at one time been threatened by a man.
2.46% of the women in Sweden have been subjected to violence by a man.
3. 13% of the women in Sweden have been subjected to aggravated sexual assault outside of a sexual relationship.
4. 92% of women in Sweden who have been subjected to sexual assault have not reported the most recent violent incident to the police.
Essentially, even in an extremely progressive society like Sweden, it's a man's world and woman are suffering having to deal with this fact. In Larsson's world there are many hard-core misogynists guilty of deplorable acts of violence against womankind. There are few exceptions to this : mainly Blomkvist, (who's actually a bit of a ladies man - I suspect this character is based on Larsson himself), Vanger, and Armansky (Lisbeth's boss). Sweden is depicted as a country with many progressive views but with misogyny inherited by its earlier generations. One of Larsson's core beliefs seems to be that the role of journalist is similar to the role of watchdog. Or, more accurately, if the population of the country is like the whole human body - the journalists in that society should function as the body's immune system, fighting off infections like corruption, greed, violence, etc. He envisions journalists as checking/balancing social organizations/political entities/financial organizations, etc. The journalist keeps those things honest by airing out any dirty laundry him/her may find if they research them.
Lisbeth Salander is the most original thing about these books. Originality is what makes any art great. She is a character that you've never seen before. And she is not only a woman, but she is also in the foster care system because she's suspected of being mentally incompetent. For being all of those things, she is the symbol of what Larsson views as needing to be unearthed in order to keep things honest. She is completely vulnerable to the social system: "There was a time when Salander had stood at a crossroads and did not really have control over her own life - when her future could have taken the form of another series of casebook entries about drugs, alcohol, and custody in various institutions. After she turned twenty and started working at Milton Security, she had calmed down appreciably and - she thought - had got a grip on her life." Because of her position she is the perfect thermometer for how that system is functioning - and the answer is - it's functioning horribly.
In fact, Salander is not mentally incompetent. She has a history of some violent behavior, but she is extremely intelligent and it's alluded to that she's on the autism spectrum. So essentially she is different, but not less. However, Sweden marginalizes her and she responds by isolating herself. It's clear that both sides have been guilty of making some mistakes - Lisbeth is very slow to forgive, doesn't compromise, and is a very difficult person.
This leads me to the next gem in this book - the relationship between Blomkvist and Salander. These people are polar opposites - while Salander is an outsider who is marginalized by society Blomkvist is a well-liked person. Blomkvist wants to improve on the ills of society but doesn't completely turn his back on the world while Salander accepts that the world is rotten and is satisfied with only protecting herself and going her own way. Salander is a 27 year old ward of the state who is considered mentally-incompetent while Blomkvist is a middle-aged man with a daughter not much younger than Salander. Finally, Salander will employ any skills/methods to achieve what she thinks is needed while Blomkvist works within the law & respects other people's personal liberties. For all this difference, I would say both are interested in discovering the truth and prosecuting criminals.
The wonder in this book is that instead of passing each other by, they create a relationship. It's a very odd relationship - making it another original aspect of this book - but it is a relationship. Salander confusedly begins a sexual relationship with Blomkvist - but to his credit he isn't satisfied just using her for that. Blomkvist attempts to help Salander be a more involved person - someone who can relate to and care more about the people around her. He says something to her at one point that I found memorable (and when I can remember it - I still think on what he was saying):
"I thought there was something different about you the instant I saw you. And you know what? It's been a really long time since I've had such a spontaneous good impression of anyone from the very beginning. I really want to be your friend, if you'll let me. But it's up to you. I want us to be friends but I can't do it all myself. Sex has nothing to do with friendship. Sure, friends can have sex, but if I had to choose between sex and friendship when it comes to you, there's no doubt which I would pick. Friendship - my definition - is built on two things. Respect and trust. Both elements have to be there. And it has to be mutual. You can have respect for someone, but if you don't have trust, the friendship will crumble."
No comments:
Post a Comment