Deconstructing Da Vinci

My best friend read the book. My husband's employer read the book. Half the planet seemingly read the book. Despite the fact that it was a #1 Best Seller FOREVER, I still hadn't read it. Yup, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code...until last week, I had never read it. Oh, I had tried. But I couldn't get past the first two pages. I have never been a big fan of the suspense thriller genre and I just couldn't bring myself to read it. But, when I went out for supper with my brother two weeks ago, I had to face his disappointment that he had read a book that really interested him and he couldn't discuss it with his librarian sister because she hadn't bothered to read it. That sucked. So, I pulled it together and tackled the book. Here's what I thought:

• It's really not that well-written. I've read well-written books, and this is not it. Brown over-explains things quite often, breaks everything into small chapters like changing scenes in an action movie, and always uses the $0.50 word instead of the $10.00 one. There are no intricacies of language to lose yourself in with this book. That said, the book is very accessible. It is very easy to read. The plain language and long explanations mean that anyone - with practically no knowledge of religion or art - can understand this book. The short chapters are also nice for people with busy lives. Working moms, commuters, business men with short attention spans, can read two pages, aka one chapter, and break away from the book without feeling like they should have read more.
  
• It is well researched. The James Rollins-style writing pushed me away at first, but the intricacies of the research drew me in. I am a huge fan of Da Vinci's work and love to argue religion, so this was my kind of book. The Da Vinci Code was based on a lot of fact and the fictional plot seemed to grow organically out of that. Granted, I'm not saying that he didn't take liberties with his research - it is a fictional book after all, but enough of it was true to capture people's interest. Everyone loves a conspiracy theory!
  

In the end, I recommend it. It's a bit of a summer read and it's light...but it will make you think, too. That's the beauty and the true secret of the code: it's a conspiracy theory that nearly anyone can get into. And nearly everyone has...including, after far too long, me.