 Popsugar Reading Challenge category: A book with a neurodivergent main character
The Girl Who Lived Twice, by David Lagercrantz This is the sixth book in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series; Lisbeth's being on the autism spectrum was discussed in the third book, Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Lagercrantz's book gets all the trigger warnings; there are scenes of extreme violence and cruelty, including toward a character that we care about. There are two plot threads: Lisbeth's deadly feud with her twin sister Camilla, and Mikael Blomkvist investigating the death of a homeless man who turns out to be connected with an ill-fated Mount Everest expedition 15 years earlier. There is mystery, angst, and a couple of well-timed twists. Blomkvist has yet another new girlfriend, a conservative (for Sweden) writer named Catrin. The first three books in the series very much grew out of Larsson's feminist vision, and all of Blomkvist's relationships were initiated by the women. So it's a bit odd when this relationship starts with Blomkvist kissing her in the middle of an argument. It felt out of character, and less believable than the scene where a screaming argument between Lisbeth and her girlfriend leads to sex. The book continues to tease the possibility of romance between Lisbeth and Blomkvist. A couple of logical flaws: I don't claim to know Swedish confidentiality laws, but I couldn't believe a medical examiner would give information about an exam to Blomkvist. Not only is he a journalist, but he claimed to want to show it to an "expert," but wouldn't tell her who the expert was. The finale has all the thrills and drama as Lisbeth and Camilla face each other at last. But it's not for the squeamish.
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