A Slow Start

It's been one hundred pages since my last post, and I still feel as if the action of the novel has yet to begin. Though, this might be expected from a 600 page book. This is not to say that I am not enjoying the book. Surprisingly, I am very intrigued by the plot and the suspicious characters though the story is still moving rather slowly. I cannot even fathom what could have possibly happened to Harriet, or what the motive might have been. Blomkvist does not give us even a hint of his theory on the matter. He seems to be very nonchalant about the whole ordeal, in fact. Though the characters express in words that the matter is grave and the family is in turmoil, their actions hardly seem to parallel Vanger's obsession with the case. So far I have been a little disappointed with the lack of emotion expressed by all of the characters. Blomkvist mentions every once in a while that the mystery of Harriet's disappearance is interesting; however, he talks about it so monotonously that I have to remind myself of how perplexing it all is. I keep turning the pages waiting for some unexpected event that will shatter expressionless faces of the Vanger family. Though Blomkvist has been staying on the island over a month now, it seems that he has accomplished little other than having coffee with a few relatives. Perhaps I'm expecting a little too much since I've only read a third of the book so far, but I'm hopeful that the action will pick up in the coming chapters and Larsson will reveal what is really going on with the Vanger family.