Summer Reading - Post Read

After reading The Girl Who Played With Fire I sat down with my mom again to discuss the book and some things that struck me. There was so much to talk about, that it was hard to know where to begin, so I first started off by telling my mom that she was right. The book was in fact a mystery, filled with twist and turns and a plot to die for, to say the least. I understood what she had been talking about and explained to her how thrilling it was to read the book. She agreed with me completely, she had the same experience in the sense that she was constantly curious about the book and wanted to continue to read it until she uncovered what it was all about.

The main subject we talked about was how well the author had written the novel. I explained how I was constantly left guessing about what was going to happen next, who was behind the conspiracies, and who was going to be killed. We both really loved how unpredictable the story was because we enjoy being surprised and shocked at the same time. I told her that one of my favorite parts about the book was getting to learn about Lisbeth Salander, as in the previous book she was closed off and private. It was really neat to see a different side of her and get a glimpse into her perspective of things. My mom couldn't have agreed more. She told me that getting to know her better was one of the best parts of the books, because she is such a complex character. We were constantly uncovering new traits and stories about her past through the reading.

I had a few questions with my mom and first asked her what she thought about Lisbeth Salander going into hiding immediately after she was accused of murder and not allowing anyone to help her or contact her. I had my own opinion on that, but wanted to hear hers first. My mom told me that she thought the situation was very tricky because if she herself was in that position, and innocent, she would have gone to the police explaining her innocence and helping them with their investigation. But, she felt that Lisbeth had no choice but to run because she was being sought after and hunted as if the police knew without a doubt that she was the killer and would accept no other explanation. I thought that this was a really interesting answer as I hadn't thought what I would have done if I was in Lisbeth's shoes, but I would have to agree with my mom and would have stepped forward myself. I originally thought Lisbeth should have too, but after listening to my mom I would have to agree with the decision Lisbeth made because she had no other alternative.

Lastly, I asked her about predictions for the final book and she told me she expected the investigation into the murders of Lisbeth's guardian and the two reporters to continue but explore other suspects besides those of Lisbeth. She also told me that she couldn't wait to find out if Lisbeth would live or die from her fatal accident at the end of the book and if she lives, what measures she would take to seek revenge against Zalachenko, a man who left a dark mark on her past.