Keeping up with the theme from last week, I am yet again writing about a not so great book. The Da Vinci Code, published by Dan Brown in 2003, is a relatively well-known book that follows two characters, Robert and Sophie, who try to solve the mystery of a murder at the Louvre. Secrets are hidden amongst the works of Da Vinci, and the whole story follows a classic thriller/mystery structure. The story wasn’t bad, and the plot was certainly interesting;I was able to get through the entire book. Although this was the case, I was unfortunately not a fan of the way in which the story was written.
Now, as I said, I did find the book interesting. It would work well as a palate cleanser, something fun and quick to read after having just finished a lengthy and difficult book. I think if you pick up the book with the intention of reading something that is meant to be fast paced and easily digestible, it’s perfect. However, though it does work in this way, the book as a whole becomes repetitive very quickly. This brings me to my main issue- the story uses cliffhangers so much I genuinely got sick of it. Every single chapter, some only 3 pages long, ended with some random suspense point that would immediately be resolved on the next page. In overusing the concept of a cliffhanger, the story just got boring. The more important parts that were meant to have a more significant impact didn’t resonate as well because I had just gotten so used to these constant instances of surprise, that I couldn’t take the story seriously.
I should still say that the book was good. I found the story entertaining, especially when read through a less serious lens. It was an easy and fun read, and it had me hooked. The book is perfect to read when you want something fun and entertaining. I finished it in about 2 days so that must say something about it. I just wish the timing of the cliff hangers had been a little more spaced out, and I would have liked it a lot more.
So, although I did like the story, I think it could have been written a little better. Dan Brown is an amazing author, but in this novel specifically I think his utilization of suspense was just a bit over the top.
