The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson – Review

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

The original Swedish title of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was the much more blunt Män som hatar kvinnor — ‘Men who hated women’ — and while not quite as catchy or appealing that is much closer to the mark. Not only because there are some men who really, really hate women in this book, but because so much of the book is steeped in hatred, and because Larsson is no master of subtlety. What makes it bearable — indeed, quite enjoyable — is a contrasting decency throughout, too, a number of characters who are decent — with Larsson (just) managing to avoid making things solely black and white with his very damaged heroine, that girl with the tattoos.

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