I've Been Coded

It’s usually a part of my nature and character to avoid things that are extremely popular and resonant with the masses. I resist the universally cherished and instead gravitate more towards niche tastes, or at least that’s how it usually works out.

I’ve known about Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and the popular sensation surrounding it for the past year and a half, and I have tried my best to avoid it at all costs. I don’t really know why, but I never had any interest in reading it. Maybe I viewed it as one of those books that are read by people who usually NEVER read, so I, fancying myself the literary type, had no interest in it.

One of my roommates here, Jen, had just finished another one of Dan Brown’s books and loved it, tearing through it in a reading frenzy. She heavily recommended it along with the Da Vinci Code, so when I was over my headmaster’s apartment two weeks ago and I spotted the Da Vinci Code on his bookshelf, I borrowed it.

I started reading it last weekend, and I must say it’s extremely addictive. I can see why it has sold over 22 million copies worldwide. Dan Brown knows how to write an intriguing plot, and with the book containing over 100 chapters, he’s the master of the cliffhanger. Just when you’re about to find out some key information or when he’s about to make a big reveal, the chapter ends and the proceeding chapter switches storylines or points of view. Sometimes I end up racing through it to find out what happens next and I have to stop and admonish myself to slow down a little and actually read all the text.

Currently I’m 500 pages in with 100 pages to go and the pacing hasn’t let up for a moment. The author’s mixed in a colorful group of distinct, memorable characters here, and he manages to insert glints of humor at all the moments. The research, of course, is outstanding, and I’ve learned a great deal while following along with the story.

What can I say- 22 million+ readers can’t be wrong. The Da Vinci Code is by no means a great piece of literary fiction and it’s certainly not going to be added to the Canon anytime soon, but it’s as close as a book can get to an all-out summer popcorn movie event. In fact, Ron Howard’s directing the film and it’s set to star one Mr. Tom Hanks (like it needed the biggest box office draw in the world to turn a profit or get the word out on it!). Also involved are Audrey Tautou from Amelie and Jean Reno from The Professional, so it looks like the movie is in good hands for a 2006 release. My only apprehension is that it’s being adapted by Akiva Goldsman, who, along with David Koepp, is one of my least favorite screenwriters working today.