THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

I recently finished the much lauded crime novel THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. To get straight to the point - no novel is going to live up to the hype which has surrounded this 'literary sensation' but it is a damn fine book. To be fair the main flaw is in its two main narrative stands. I found them frequently disparate and never completely unified in a truly meaningful way. Moreover, I found the libel case which bookends the novel a bore. Actually, editing maybe my biggest fault with the novel, it is simply too baggy in places and reads like a draft in need of some trimming. However, after the first 100-200 pages I was hooked and whilst I may not have identified with any of the characters (Salander is more interesting in terms of her mysterious history) I was gripped by the plot's finale revolving around Harriet's disappearance. Another highlight resides in the effective conceit of using photography as a means to piece together events in order to tell a story - this reminded me of Stephen Poliakoff's sublime miniseries SHOOTING THE PAST. I am eager to read the next novel in the trilogy and watch the film upon its UK theatrical release in March. For the time being though I am going to go away and read something else as I want to savour this trilogy despite my urge to simply burn through all three books!

Score 9/10