The Girl Who Played With Fire

Written by: Jeanne Pauline Odevilas

              Our professor asked us to go to the library and choose a book that we would like to make a book review with. As I was looking for the “right book,” I noticed this thick orange book under the new acquisitions in the library. I was so fascinated with its cover and later did I know that it was not the kind of book that I would want to write a book review with. But, I ended up reading it anyway. I had a hard time reading it at first because I am not a fan of crime fiction thrillers. The second reason was that my professor told me that I can’t write a review of this book not unless I have read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- the first book in the trilogy. I knew that I have to read the first one so that I would not get confused with the characters as well as for me to have an idea to know the story better.

            Since I am doing a book review on its sequel, I would like to give a brief summary of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo first just so for you to have a knowledge of it.

“An international publishing sensation, The Girl with the

Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love

story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex

and entertainingly atmospheric novel. Harriet Vanger, a scion

of one of Sweden ’s wealthiest families disappeared over forty

years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to

seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist

recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided

by the pierced and tattoed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander.

Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and

astonishing corruption.” (Summary from the book itself,

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

  

 The Girl who Played with Fire started where we could find Lisbeth Salander travelling the world accompanied by Dimensions in Mathematics, written by Dr. L.C. Parnault. (Harvard University Press, 1999) It was the book she bought in a book store because of her interest in spherical astronomy. In Stockholm, Millennium was very busy working on a new book; they were to publish a very revealing expose on the sex trade and trafficking in Sweden that would involve police officers, judges, politicians, etc.

     Meanwhile, Salander just got back from her long vacation. Using the huge amount of money that she stole from the corrupt financier Hans-Erik Wennerström (in Tattoo), she bought an expensive apartment with an overlooking beautiful view which she considered a dream come true. She also visited her friends- Dragan Armansky, Holger Palmren and Miriam Wu.  As Millennium were trying to get deeper in their story, two of Blomkvist colleagues were murdered- Dag Svensson and Mia Johansson. As well as Salander’s guardian, Nils Bjurman -who brutally raped her during her teens. Blomkvist was shocked when the police reported that Salander was the one who was responsible for all three murders, but he knew that she would never do such a thing. But he had this theory that they were murdered because of the book that they were trying to publish that would involve big time professionals in Sweden. Thus, he and his team conducted a private investigation as well as Salander’s good old friend, Dragan Armansky.

    The police, Armansky’s team and Blomkvist are now confused because of mixed up information they have gathered- whether Salander is guilty or not. And on the latter part, we found out that the blond giant was responsible for all three murders. As Blomkvist was trying to solve the puzzle, he learned about Zala, thanks to Holmer Palmgren. “Alexander Zalachenko is Lisbeth’s father, he was a former Soviet hit man from one of the intelligence services. He defected in 1976 and was granted asylum in Sweden and given a salary by Sapo. After the end of the Soviet Union, he became, like many others, a full time gangster. The mastermind of sex trafficking and smuggling and weapon and drugs.” (p.673)

     Salander was angered because of what she saw on television, “Miriam Wu badly wounded, Famous boxer Paolo Roberto saved her life.” She was so sorry for her friend because she is innocent. Salander had enough, so she tried her best to find where her father lived, in a farmhouse. Meanwhile in Stockholm, while Blomkvist was scanning in her apartment and he found out where she was headed, so he followed her via train only a little bit late. Salander was now beaten up by her half brother Niedermann and was shot three times by her father then buried her alive. Despite the pain, she managed to dig herself out and attempts to kill her father with an axe and her brother as well. But her brother ran away believing that he was facing a ghost. The book ends as Blomkvist finds Salander in the kitchen badly wounded, and then he called the emergency services.

    One of the themes that were explored in the narrative is justice. All her life Lisbeth Salander was misjudged by people, or their intention was to judge her in a cruel way. “I don’t wonder at Lisbeth’s absolute refusal to talk to psychiatrists or the authorities,” Blomkvist said. “Every time she did, it only made matters worse. She tried to explain what had happened and no-one listened. She, a child all by herself, tried to save her mother’s life and defend her against a psychopath. In the end she did the only thing she felt she could do. And instead of saying ‘well done’ and ‘good girl,’ they locked her up in asylum.” (p.637)

      It is fascinating that this book is somehow related to my course, and from this I have learned two things that would not just apply to me as a student of media, but for me to become a better person too. No matter how complicated a person might look like, we are not in the position to judge that person basing it from what we heard or saw. We have to be critical and careful on passing our judgments too, because it will affect our dignity and integrity. Secondly, if your life is in danger because you are about to expose something or to tell the truth that would mad people behind it, we must stand for what we think is right.

       The point of view of the story is omniscient. In the book, the author has used third person pronouns like he and she. “He could not recall that she had hinted by so much as a single word that any such thing had happened to her, She was the girl who at the age of twelve had gone to war with a hit man who had defected from the GRU, and she had crippled him for life.” (p.667) Overall the book was brilliant, yes it took me a long time to finish reading it but it was worth it. And to be honest, I am now starting to read the very last book of the trilogy which is “The Girl who kicked the Hornet’s Nest.”