Memory and the Past Quotes in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph). We used Reg Keeland/a.k.a. Steven T. Murray's English language translation.

Quote #1

"I want you to find out who in the family murdered Harriet, and who since then has spent almost forty years trying to drive me insane." (4.195)

We wonder why Henrik never imagined that the flowers could be a sign that Harriet is alive. Probably because after all those years he didn't dare hope it could be true.

Quote #2

"So in effect I've spent half my life collecting information about a single day." (6.44)

Since Henrik doesn't know what happened that day, it's like he has a gap in his memory.

Quote #3

[…] Salander did not like aborting assignments once she had started. People always have secrets. It's just a matter of finding them out. (7.69)

Salander thrives on the secret pasts (and presents) of others, while guarding the secrets of her own past carefully.