The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is the last novel in the series of three novels called the Millennium Trilogy by Swedish writer, Steig Larrson. The novel was published in 2007 after the death of the writer in 2004; therefore, the novel was marketed posthumously. The original title of the book in Swedish translates to something like the ‘Air Castle that was blown up.’ The other two novels in the series are respectively, The Girl with Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. The stories of all the three novels revolve around the female character, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist plays the supporting role. The novels are based in Sweden, and reveal much about the social life and criminal activities in modern Sweden.
The plot of the book starts off where the last book in the series lefts off. Lisbeth is transferred to a hospital after a deadly confrontation with her father, Zalachenko and half-brother Neidermann. Her father is also shifted to the hospital, while her brother escapes the confrontation in the process kidnapping a woman. There is a secret service agency that was once led by a person by the name of Gullberg, who wants to save Zalachenko from the authorities. However, the plan does not work out as planned, and Gullberg kills Zalachenko at the hospital. Salander on the other hand has to go through trials as a result of her past as a computer hacker. She is supported by the charming and confident Journalist and publisher of the Millennium magazine. After a few tribulations, Salander proves herself innocent and frees herself from further trial. She receives her father’s wealth, but denies the property. By the end of the novel, Neidermann gets arrested and Salander reconciles with Blomkvist.
All in all, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson is a stark novel on the criminal activities that go on in a country like Sweden, which does not have a high crime rate. Similarly, it is also about sexual violence against women, and how women face them and overcome them. It is known that Larrson witnessed a rape scene of a teenage girl, when he was young and that influenced him highly. He could not tolerate such violence and felt guilty of not being able to help. Therefore, he created a character in memory of that girl in Salander and created as a strong woman.
The novel is a famous read; however, if you have not read the previous two books you may be lost about what is going on in the plot. Therefore, it is advisable that you know a bit about the both the previous books before you set on this wonderful reading journey. For sure, you will not be disappointed.