I finished this book yesterday.
And I am officially launching a formal investigation into what the hell is wrong with everybody.
Spoiler alert: this book sucks.
But seriously: spoilers ahead.
I was told by SO many people to wait until the second half of the book when it gets good. Hey, guess what. Do it. Guess. Did you guess that I was going to say WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A BOOK THAT YOU THINK HALF-SUCKED?
It didn’t get better. It got way, way worse. At least at the beginning when it was boring as hell and DRAGGGGGGGING through what would hopefully become a plot, the characters had a fucking CHANCE to become interesting. Then it was like characteristic Tetris started. Here comes her awkwardness. Here comes her amazing skill set. OH MAN I NEED A STRAIGHT PIECE LIKE OH GOD DAMN IT IT’S A LIGHTNING-SHAPED “SHE HAS A FUCKING PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY” PIECE. And none of it fit.
And through all of it? Rape rape rape women are dingy bimbos rape fuck all the women you want rape rape punch women rape. Now her guardian is raping her. Now this other woman’s dad beat her. While the other one’s dad raped her. Then her brother raped her. Then her brother raped and murdered a bunch of women while this other pregnant woman’s head was held underwater. But that doesn’t stop them from being totally down with casual open relationships. Go get ‘em, boys.
What the fuck is wrong with everyone everywhere?
And the big twist at the end that Harriet was still alive? I figured that out somewhere around page three. I think it was on the cover. I think the cover of mine read “The Girl With The Harriet Is Still Alive”. I groaned through the whole damned thing as he built his way up to that anticlimax. The big twist for me was that upon discovering Harriet was still alive, Blomkvist didn’t start beating and raping her.
I’m going to go watch Howard the Duck and start moving back up the ladder of entertainment.
I simply cannot agree more. It hurts, how good you nail it.
