Random thoughts on The Da Vinci Code
04 December 2004 6:30 pm
I finally found a quote on Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code that mirrors my exact sentiments about the book:
It is inelegant, pedestrian writing in service of a plot that sets up cliff-hangers like clockwork, resolves them with improbable escapes and leads us breathlessly to a disappointing anticlimax.A serendipitous dicovery, since I came across it reading Roger Ebert's review of National Treasure.
Don't get me wrong. I did find the book entertaining and a page-turner, but I wasn't blown away by his theories the way millions apparently were. I was already familiar with different takes on the Holy Grail legend from playing Gabriel Knight 3 on the computer ages ago. I'm not likely to buy a Dan Brown book. Nothing beats the men of my fiction dreams, Dennis Lehane and Greg Iles.
For me, it's interesting to see that The Da Vinci Code has provoked strong responses from the Christian community (I am aware that there are other groups - like art historians and non-Christian theologians - who also feel strongly about the book). The Da Vinci Code seems to have become to the Christians what Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses was/is to the Muslims. Perhaps now Christians will understand why there was such an uproar over Rushdie's irreverent treatment of the Prophet Muhammed in the book. By the same token they should also realise that while Rushdie pissed off many Muslims, not all of us supported or supports Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa. The world needs to understand that Islam is not a monolithic entity, in the same way that Christianity itself isn't. Empathy is the first step towards acceptance and understanding.
Older entries
Ramadan - 08 October 2006
Where I Have Been - 03 October 2006
Baby Talk - 10 August 2006
6 Weeks of Separation - 16 July 2006
Unacceptable Rudeness - 21 June 2006