Fictional Pergatory

So, The Girl Who Stepped on the Hornets Nest (3rd in the Steig Larsson Trilogy) is taking me a long time to read. This is mostly because I am reading in 10 minute chunks before I pass out at night, and then 45 minute chunks twice a week at the gym. I think it's because I am losing some steam with the series. Last night, my fiance, Matt, asked me as I was reading in bed: "I thought you would be sick of those books by now." And I said, "I am, but I still can't stop."

Then I proceeded to read about a girl (Salander, our Unlikely Heroine) who got shot in the head and survived. But not only survived -survived by digging herself out of a shallow, loosely packed grave, with a bullet in her brain, using only a metal cigarette case as a "scoop." Sheesh. It's not even close to believable. There is not an iota of believable in this book so far (by the way, Salander also axed her crazy ex-spy father in the face, but don't worry folks, he's fine). So why am I still reading?

It's one thing to read books about talking trees, Hobbits, and a magical ring that can destroy the world. No one ever thought that book would be realistic. You can tell by the cover. You can tell by the author's name. So when you read about orcs, and elves, you aren't really playing it out in your brain as though it would actually be something that might take place in real life - you are thinking of it like a movie, and your imagination can run wild. It's a totally different type of reading experience.

Steig Larsson, however, promises murder, mystery, intrigue, and reality - and while he does deliver on most of those promises, he also gives us some weird pergatory where we are somewhere between real life and absolute craziness. Is he worried you woulnd't like his book unless something totally ridiculous and outlandish happened? Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. For now, I'm still reading.