Reading for Me

It took me a few years to get around to it, but I finally read the final book of the Millennium Trilogy.  Since so much time had passed since reading the previous volumes, I had forgotten some of the essential facts of the story. Those memory lapses slowed my reading a bit as well as the fact that I was battling (yet another) sinus infection while getting through the novel.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story more than the previous books. In The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, the focus turns to finding justice for the mistreatment of Lisbeth Salander. While the story takes on the feel of a legal thriller, I found myself captivated by the story without the violence that marked the earlier novels. I was a little let down by the book’s ending and found myself wanting a better resolution. Perhaps Larsson is leaving the door open to continue exploring the lives of these characters; I, for one, am done with them.

I don’t regret reading the series, but I’m definitely glad that I’m able to mark these books off of my list and move on to other things.  What’s next on my list? I’m in the process of finishing another series and reading Mockingjay, the final book in The Hunger Games saga.

The Dinner is the critically-acclaimed Dutch novel centering around two brothers who lives could not be any more different. One is a powerful politician set to become the next Prime Minister. The other is a history teacher forced to resign his post due to controversial statements in the classroom. The lives of these estranged brothers once again intersect due to the criminal actions of their teenage sons. The two men and their wives meet for dinner to discuss how they plan to handle the situation.

The structure of The Dinner is delicious. Each course of the meal moves the novel into a different section. The appetizers are constructed simplistically and with little depth. As the meal moves into the entree portion, the language becomes rich as does the story itself. The final section of the novel — the dessert — left me unsatisfied and longing for something more.

I simply have to ask one question. What's all the fuss about? Don't misunderstand. I found the book interesting in its concept. Portions of the writing were simply delightful. As a whole, though, the novel felt a bit contrived to me. It seemed as though Koch was attempting to write the second half of the book in a high literary style that was not in agreement with the beauty that opened the work. It almost felt like he decided to try to impress his audience by showing us what we should read instead of giving us more of what drew us into the book in the first place. This was a case of finishing a book because I was so near the end and not because I was drawn into another world by the power of the words.

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