Ugly is good...

I watched the DVD of The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo last night. I loved this book. I’ve read book two and when I get a second I’m going to read book three. The character of Lisbeth Salander is excellent. I don’t know of any writers who write characters like this any more and certainly not in ebook land where it’s all about quickie, multi-orgasmed sex in 15,000 words or less. Even the NY best sellers are full of plastic characters going through the motions of falling into pretty, conventional love. Why is that? Is it because all we want is a quick fix/fuck/lay with the appropriate hearts and flowers and happy ending? Is it because characters like Lisbeth are difficult to deal with because she’s not pretty, she’s graphic to the point of painful and she has more issues to deal with than a newspaper? Is that all too hard for us?  What does that say about us as people? As women? Sex is easy. Sex with multiple men is even easier but no, I don’t want to deal with an ‘ugly’, difficult woman and the unconventional things she does as I’m only after an orgasm. I was just pleased they didn’t balls up the movie by Americanizing it and making Lisabeth pretty and her issues trivial.   

Damn shame there will be no more Lisbeth Salander books. I’m glad they were written. Ugly is good. Difficult is just that and it has to be faced. Escape? You always have to go back. Give me gritty reality any day.