by tabou on 19 Jun 2010, 05:15
Amber, which of those is the best in terms of the climbing do you think?
G, I know you were asking this question in a general way, but about "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo," Fair Spouse and I just read it together. She loathes reading fiction ecept once in a blue moon (she liked "The Historian" by Kostova, for instance) but both of us agreed that it's part of this term's cultural literacy on college campuses--hers in particular. Her boss loved the film so Spouse said, let's read the book at least before I have to look at the film with the Blockhead. I admit, we had so much to talk about! So many questions raised--an interesting book. Of course the subplot subject matter, family business, is my own professionally and artistically, which makes Larsson an interesting writer for me to read....but Spouse and I both agreed that there were quite a few more-than-disturbing things about this better-than-average "crime thriller." We wanted so much to love it...but... For instance, the structure is crying out for an answer as to whether he had any editorial advice whatever (or even second thoughts!) about the ending, which calls into question his whole sort of "moral authority" in attempting a book about a serial killer from a sort of "postmodern feminist" perspective. By the ending (and I will not put a spoiler here), leaving aside so many of the obvious questions/problems/dilemmas raised by events, we mean this: why in the world did he think it would be a good idea to go back to the ridiculously unimportant Wennerstom case? That narcissistic choice alone, in Spouse's view, ruins the book. Also, why in the world do these crime writers persist in describing horrific sadomasochistic physical crimes in great detail, yet REFUSE to describe lovemaking in any detail whatever? What kind of writers are these people? Charming, you say....but...pandering, I think. Posing as deep thought on serious subjects when in fact it's designed to do little more than entertain at a base level with plenty of dripping violence. It's culture-sick, in my view, this addiction to violence and dismissal of lovemaking, and it's another reminder why I don't like this "genre." But as I say, I feel that this book could have possibly transcended the genre---and didn't. Am I right in recalling that there was a thread about this here on the MB? If so, point me to the right place and I will pick up the thread there.
Did anyone decide to read on in this trilogy?
