[Saya]

Originally Posted by Acharis

Yeah, not my cup of tea. I thought about borrowing the book but didn't after I read one page with one of the abuses... It wasn't "graphic" but I didn't particularly want to read more.

Yeah I should say I didn't find it bad in the book (I hear the movies are more gratuitous), at least not as bad as everyone hyped it up to be. And I know Lisbeth is bi, but her relationship with the Gary Stu character is central and her relationships with other women aren't mentioned at all until one of the later books. Its just one of those books where the dude doesn't know how to write women or about systems of oppression he never experiences, if that makes sense. Like you ever notice how some men when they write sexism, its always very violent and over the top? Its like the only way they get it. Compare it to a **** scene written by Atwood, which usually isn't detailed at all, but reading it is horrible anyway because the men involved are often pretty ordinary and protected by other men and even women under a system of oppression. Even when the rapist in Year Of the Flood was pretty over the top villainous, he was tolerated and put into power. Or compare to Batwoman: Elegy, where its not her superior's fault that the army at the time did not allow lesbians, he even offers to let her stay if she denies it. Its the homophobic system in which this heterosexual office participates in it that takes away her livelihood. I think part of the reason I like Rucka so much is that he can write women as diverse people who suffer from microaggressions instead of huge disgusting **** scenes.

Add in that Lisbeth was named after a woman Larsson saw gang-*****, and the main character is an obvious Gary Stu stand in for Larsson, and its pretty creepy.

I also just finished 'Big Girl Small' by Rachael DeWoskin, and the plot was unexpectedly similar to Steubenville. Not quite as awful as the real world version and well written, but still I wish I'd chosen something less heavy

I'm now looking for the next book...

Have you read 'Tipping The Velvet' and 'Fingersmith' by Sarah Waters, Saya? I found those really interesting reads. (Tipping The Velvet does contain one incident of what you could possibly call domestic violence, not sure if should TW or not)

Tipping the Velvet came up on the same list! Thinking about it, though not in the mood for historical fiction right now.