Mar 10, 2005 08:50 PM
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(Updated Oct 15, 2005 12:18 PM)
Let me start off by first confessing that I am not a die-hard art lover and my historical IQ is derived mostly from school days and of late the History channel. So to read a book which amalgamates these two somewhat ‘alien’ topics was something I could have never imagined myself doing had it not been for the recommendation of a friend and the enormous hype surrounding the book.
Am I glad to have read it’ You bet I am!
The book has stirred quite a controversy regarding the depictions of the Vatican and the history of Christianity in general, questioning the very foundation and age-old papal beliefs on which Christianity was built.
The whole premise of the story revolves around the ‘Holy Grail’ which has been safeguarded by a secret society called the 'Priory of Sion' for centuries. The Priory is believed to possess the ‘true’ information about Jesus’ life which the Vatican has kept suppressed for eons in order to propagate their own doctrine of what they thought was right.
The 'Sangreal documents' are supposed to be brought into light at an opportune time in history known as the 'End of Days'. Till date the secrets remain secrets.
To cut the long story short and without giving out too much, 'The Da Vinci Code' is about three parties in quest of the 'The Grail' for whatever reasons, sinister or noble. Sounds like a run-of-the-mill treasure hunt novel. But believe me, its far from it.
The little known facet of Da Vinci apart from being an artist par excellence is brought into light by the author. He is believed to be a master of symbology who also happened to be a member the Priory. To avoid the wrath of the church he ingeniously embedded clues on the life of Jesus and ‘The Grail’ in his great paintings and frescos.
The author has presented these facts in the most intriguing manner which almost makes one gasp at the sheer excitement of revelation at the end of it. The interweaving of the 'facts' (assuming that they are genuine claims) into a suspense thriller coming from conversations between fictional characters is handled with impeccable tautness without letting it drag or waver from its course.
The common pitfall of a thriller or a 'who-dun-it' to test one's patience till one reaches the climax has been neatly avoided here. Instead, each chapter leaves one with a lingering aftertaste of the disclosure of some startling 'facts' and an acute curiosity of what lay ahead.
It sure left me wanting for more and the subsequent chapters indeed delivered what the previous ones had promised. The pacing and buildup of the story and characters is absolutely masterful leaving no respite to come up with questions on the on-goings. Events take place at a breakneck speed with plots coming thick and fast. Calling it a ‘page-turner’ certainly would not be an overstatement.
It seems there has been some serious research gone into the making of the book. One tends to believe everything laid out must be true, thanks to the very logical explanations about the ‘Grail’ and an uncannily believable chain of historical events chronicled in arts and symbols. Of course some parts may be totally hypothetical, contrary to what is being claimed as facts.
Yet, I am not really keen to validate the authenticity and accuracy of the information presented in book, although I might still do that for the fun of it. I believe the book is worth a read for the sheer fun of the narrative and exceptional story-telling and linguistic flair of Mr. Dan Brown even without the interpretations holding any grain of truth. It is better left to the sensitive and critical souls who may not accept the other side of the coin.
As convincing and articulate as Brown is, he still doesn’t sound preachy trying to coerce the world to embrace his interpretations. One should holistically view the time-honoured religious legends and ‘gospels’ in a different light after reading this book, weighing both sides of the equation. If at all there is such a thing existing as a ‘Grail’ and if somebody has got the key to it, then whether it should be brought out in the public domain is an issue which could lead to warring factions and shake the substructures of goodness, big-time - certainly not what any religion would endorse of.
As the author puts it through his protagonist, ‘Religion is a matter of faith’ and it may not be in the best interest of those who live on faith to be rudely awakened to the fact that they have been grossly disillusioned and taken for a ride all these years along.
