Book Review – The Girl Who Lived Twice

First Published: 2019
Author: David Lagercrantz
Original Language: Swedish
Reading Language: English
Genre: Nordic Noir
My rating: 3/5

The Girl Who Lived Twice is the sixth instalment in the Millenium series, initially written by Stieg Larsson.

Lisbeth Salander has vanished to confront her dark past and settle scores with her estranged twin sister, Camilla. At a loose end, Mikael Blomkvist investigates the death of a homeless man linked to a political conspiracy.

I was looking forward to reading this novel. The characters Larsson created in his original trilogy have left a lasting impact on me. However, this latest instalment was a huge disappointment.

I rated it 3/5 because I don’t have the heart to give a worse rating to some of my all-time favourite characters. It’s hard to write this review because I really wanted to love the book.

The story had potential but seemed scattered and incomplete. The plot lacked clear direction and was rather lacklustre. The different plotlines tie up neatly in a kick-ass climax, albeit rushed and predictable, but there is no emotional payoff.

All the characters are shells of who they were in the original trilogy. For the first time, I wasn’t interested in what happened to Blomkvist or Salander. I wasn’t invested in the characters.

Blomkvist’s investigation of a homeless man’s death was rather uninteresting. I failed to understand why the characters were as worried as they were about what had happened on Mount Everest several years ago. This subplot also felt like a distraction from the true story, which is Salander’s quest for revenge. Salander’s role in the novel felt secondary. The title is about her, but she is hardly ever present. And when we do get to read about her, she lacks uniqueness and depth.

As with all the Millenium series, the book exposes social inequities and abuse of power. However, Lagercrantz lacked finesse in his critique of society. Some passages felt like outright rants. The political conspiracy element was a step too far for me. I wanted to skip through most of those passages.

The original trilogy was remarkable. The follow-up trilogy dwindled with every new instalment, disappointingly ending a great series. I want to reread the originals to remember why I fell in love with Salander and Blomkvist.