The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of the popular mystery novels recommended to me by a number of people. However, with in the last month, two people suggested I read it. So, I finally got around to it this week. One of the recent recommendations from a leftist suggested the novel is loaded with social commentary on the shortcomings of the Scandinavian social democratic model. In light of the author's politics, such a perspective is actually not far-fetched. Throughout the novel, there is a constant reminder of common sexual violence, misogyny, exploitation of immigrants, corruption in finance and corporate Sweden, dehumanizing social welfare bureaucracies, and, in the case of the Vanger family, strong ties with fascist politics and profiting from deals with Nazi Germany. In this fast-paced and suspenseful thriller, these less flattering aspects of Swedish society are a constant background to Blomkvist's task of investigating Harriet's disappearance and getting back at criminal financier Wennerström. If Blomkvist represents the author himself, but perhaps less ideological in his politics, there is nonetheless a plethora of material to decode here. For instance, the handling of post-Soviet Europe's economic exploitation by Sweden and Western Europe, undoubtedly shapes the corruption of high finance, the state, and violence against immigrants. Truth be told, one could do quite a bit of work with this entertaining novel.
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