In this second contribution in the Millennium series by Mr. Lagercrantz we will find Lisbeth Salanger on a quest into her origins and a lot of talk of stolen babies.
The novel starts with our heroine serving a sentence in a maximum-security women’s prison where she will butt heads with the dagger wielding Benito and manages to put her hacking skills to good use. While the narrative moves on, Mr. Lagercrants succeeds in diving further into Lisbeth’s heartbreaking backstory and fleshing out her father-daughter relationship with her former guardian Holger Palmgren, those passages are very moving.
This very complex story brings topics that are timely: first, we have a lot of disinformation in which lies are used to create chaos. Second, it centers on the Islamic radicalization and how women are treated. Third, it focuses on racism and those attracted to racial biology. All those plot lines eventually connect as the action unfolds. Many political and philosophical issues are brought to the forefront. There is a lot going on, it is easy to lose track of everything.
What we will read in a few words:
Is a mashup plot of evil bureaucracy separating twins at birth for long-term studies. We will have a heroine avenging a Muslim girl and finally a drama surrounding the separation and reunion of musically gifted male twins.
Further thoughts:
I liked the story but I was rather disappointed with the lack of time the plot spends with Blomkvist and Salanger. They really took backseat roles here and I dearly missed how they interact, none of it in this latest. The story also failed to give good twists and you can see things coming way before they arrive, very little tension is felt. The pacing is hard to follow, with a leisurely tone the scenes swiftly shift back and forth to a year and a half earlier and back to the present; the alternating timeline is confusing and frustrating. I am sure, this novel is the tipping point in which Mr. Lagercrantz will be giving his own spin in the future…..time will tell.
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