The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Well I just got the chance to start my book today during 3rd block. I’m reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, and it certainly is engrossing. The focus of the omniscient narration switches effortlessly between characters, which has allowed me to see the perspectives and motivations of most of the main characters. The book is captivating because so far (I’m on page 115), though the author is straightforward in his storytelling, the main plot and conflict is yet to be revealed. The characters have been interesting so far, a melange of the ordinary and curious.
The characterization and characters themselves are interesting, I like how as each new character is brought to light, an autobiography follows, but nothing too long or dry, just the essentials that the author felt were necessary for the reader to understand where they’re coming from. The main man, Mikael Blomkvist is a financial journalist who seems to only want to reveal the truth and corruption of the industrialist financiers, but at the start of the book is caught in an uncomfortable situation and has just been found guilty for allegations against an important financial company, though the reader is inclined to think he was innocent. Another interesting character is Lisbeth Salander, a total enigma to her employer but excellent at her investigative job. She always turns in “flawless reports” which bluntly reveal the secrets of her subjects, which is also intriguing because it;’s like she can find anything out and practically destroy people if she would like. I suppose in all books there must be that one character that a part of every one wants to be (is that normal?). She is patient yet assertive, and seems to be confident that she knows exactly what she wants to do all the time, all cool and controlled!
I admire how Larsson fabricates the plot of the book; so far it has stayed on par with the reviews I have read. The plot is many faceted; it contains numerous elements which I can tell will evolve into an even more complicated story, and there has been a lot of storytelling via dialogue as well which could have potentially been boring but is broken up and more engaging than one would think.
Another element I think is helpful in the book (as it keeps switching around so much) is how each chapter tells what days it covers in “present time”. There is a lot of history being revealed throughout the book, but the way the dates given allows the reader to stay focused and gives a good idea of the time frame of things, and reveals its fast pace.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the first 5 chapters and am impatient to read more!