The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
Well, I appear to have read this 600-page novel in not much more than 24 hours, during some of which time I was supposed to be at work. And I cannot honestly remember having read anything like it before, so much so that I am unsure what to write about it, especially given the fact that I oughtn’t to give away too many plot details.
I loved it because it tapped into several different things that I enjoy – fat thrillers, esoterica, murder mysteries, intellectual arguments, codes and conspiracy theories. There have been comparisons with Harry Potter, which I distrust whenever they appear on the cover of a book, but this is less wild than most – it's to do with the exercise of offering readers a series of mysteries and puzzles to solve, rather than any overt similaries in plot or character, and I think that is valid.
Also extremely amusing is the lather that the Catholic church, self-appointed literary critics and assorted other Christian nutters have got themselves into over the supposed 'blasphemies' and inaccuracies contained in the book. This is funny because the author very cleverly takes lots of elements with an existence in the real world – the works of Leonardo da Vinci, the secret society The Priory of Sion, the Catholic sect Opus Dei – and works them into a narrative that he states quite clearly on his own website is supposed to be fiction – as follows:
“The Da Vinci Code is a novel and therefore a work of fiction. While the book's characters and their actions are obviously not real, the artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals depicted in this novel all exist (for example, Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings, the Louvre pyramid, the Gnostic Gospels, Hieros Gamos, etc.). These real elements are interpreted and debated by fictional characters. While it is my belief that the theories discussed by these characters have merit, each individual reader must explore these characters' viewpoints and come to his or her own interpretations. My hope in writing this novel was that the story would serve as a catalyst and a springboard for people to discuss the important topics of faith, religion, and history.”
As to all the refutations and the attempts to prove or disprove the different theories presented, well, there's nothing like an opportunity to make money, is there?
I can see that some people will find the premise presented in this book profoundly irritating, and others will love it for presenting something closer to their own world view – I am one of those latter people, and a reader of thrillers to boot, so this book was like Christmas to me. I don't think the characters were particularly one-dimensional when judged by the standards of thrillers. I accept that it’s not the best-written book ever but do not believe that it deserves most of the opprobrium that is heaped on it from people that are, frankly, being snobbish about a wildly successful piece of popular fiction. I am not personally convinced that the plot hangs together completely – I need to go back and read it again, when I am not in such a desperate hurry to find out what will happen. I am sure there are lots of clues and secrets that I missed, and I look forward to going back and finding them. I shall be recommending it to all and sundry, however, and am already looking forward to swelling the numbers at one or two tourist locations benefiting soundly from their appearance in this book.
Dan Brown's website (link above) is highly recommended for background information on the books and for the codes, puzzles and challenges that it offers for fans to crack.