Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Reading Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Secret of Secrets, was like driving in Mumbai: One foot heavy on the clutch, the other hovering hopefully over the accelerator
Because I’m convinced the universe is out to get me, I found it typical that, on the rare occasion I was in the mood for a fast-moving thriller, I got one that made me feel I was on a slow bus from Borivali to Colaba in peak traffic hours.
Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Reading Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Secret of Secrets, was like driving in Mumbai: One foot heavy on the clutch, the other hovering hopefully over the accelerator. That’s because this book is not written like most thrillers. Rather than creating a sense of rising momentum via a series of ever more sinister unexplained events leading all the way to the penultimate chapter, The Secret of Secrets creates one new element of suspense every 20 to 30 pages while at the same time resolving an older one. Add to this, two subplots with many chapters but little actual effect on the main story, and the result is zero momentum. Just clutch, clutch, clutch.
Nevertheless, I made it to the end, and I have to say I was quite fascinated by the theme of the novel. In The Secret of Secrets, Harvard professor and symbologist Robert Langdon is in Prague with his current significant other, Dr Katherine Solomon, an expert in the noetic sciences — the study of human consciousness and its possible boundlessness. (Basically, the paranormal might turn out to be quite normal.) Katherine has just submitted a manuscript based on her research to a publisher, promising a revelation that will blow the world’s collective mind, and at the start of the story, she has been invited to Prague by a Dr Brigita Gessner, the first sinister character to appear in the book. (Many more creepy characters will follow.)
Given how the book creates and resolves elements of suspense every 25-odd pages, it’s difficult to gauge what might constitute a spoiler and what might not, so I’ll play safe and simply say that a ruthless secret organisation will do anything to prevent Katherine’s book from being published, while at the same time, a creature from Jewish folklore called the Golem is roaming Prague, aiming to end a particularly inhuman secret project led by Dr Gessner. Between all these secrets are 671 pages of shenanigans.
I can’t say I enjoyed this book, but I honestly believe I’m not its target audience. I imagine the clutch-clutch structure is meant to cater to readers who do not have the time to read for long stretches and can manage only 20-30 pages a day. For them perhaps, The Secret of Secrets will work.
The Secret of Secrets
By Dan Brown
Penguin
pp. 671; Rs 1,499
