Well, I thought this book would take maybe two weeks to read, it took around five days. I`ve read some great books that just suck you in, but nothing like this. This book literally takes your day away, when you get into this, almost nothing can pull you out of its dark, imaginative world. I started reading this because some of my family had read it, and with the American remake just coming out, I decided to check it out. Now, I consider this quite possibly the greatest book I`ve read so far. I`ve heard so much hype about the book, and I ignored it, but it’s all 100% true. All three books were released after the author`s (Stieg Larrson), death.
Without giving spoilers, I`ll explain the basic plot. So, Henrik Vanger, the patriarch of the Vanger family, one of the richest families in Sweden, is still trying to solve the disappearance of his niece’s, Harriet, who disappeared almost forty years ago. Henrik hires Mikael Blomkvist to move into his property for a year and to try to solve the mystery. Eventually Mikael hires punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander, who is also one of Sweden`s best hackers. They work together to solve the mystery, and that’s about all of the plot I`m going to give away, but know this, it all goes to hell.
This book is the first installment of The Millennium Trilogy, followed by The Girl Who Played with Fire, and finally The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. The original Swedish title for the first book translates into “Men Who Hate Women”, and it is full of them. This is an amazing book, but not for the faint of heart. I loved it but one of the reasons I loved it so much is because of just how dark it was, it was at times very, very cruel. Every now and then I had to put it down and just take a break for a minute. Arguably the best book I`ve read to date.
This was a hard book to read, it’s full of sexual violence, and its harsh, but if you get past that stuff, then you`re in for a real treat with this. I would definitely recommend this book, but be warned; it’s not for the faint of heart. I`m looking forward to reading the second and third books, and to watching the American remake. All three books were turned into movies in Sweden in 2009.
