Inferno (spolier alert!)

[DV]

Discussion thread for Dan Brown's latest book, Inferno

Anybody here who has read it? Let's discuss!

[sima]

Haven't read it but I know that he is receiving a lot of flak lately for depicting Manila as the gates of hell.  However, another author, in the person of Paulo Coelho, said that Filipino's soul leads to the gates of heaven.

[tahimik_24]

Haven't read it din. Super curious and i want to buy one.
The book is a work of fiction. Natawa lang ako sa balita na nakita ko na gusto ng chaiman ng MMDA (Mr Tolentino) ng public apology from Dan Brown at with personal letter pa. E na print na yung libro. Anong gagawin sa libro pull out lahat? hehe 

[DV]

Obviously, Tolentino hasn't read the book because he completely missed the point (what the book really is all about). Nakakainis lang na people are basing their reactions on his reaction. Please read it, ladies. Highly recommended. Would love to discuss the main issues tackled in the book.

^Sana binasa muna ni Tolentino yung book bago sya sumulat kay Dan Brown.

[blackshirt13]

I have read it. There is truth in his description of Manila as being overpopulated and having slums, but I think it's kinda exaggerated. Then again, Sienna's whole stay in the country (probably a few days or weeks) were condensed into just several paragraphs so her impressions would have come off as more intense than what really happened. *shrugs*

[DV]

^The way I see it, all those things Sienna experienced (traffic jams, pollution, poverty, attempted rape)  were a complete shock to her sensibilities since she came from a developed country, and were an extreme assault to her senses (genius and highly gifted people have sensitivities and overexcitabilities that normal people do not have), so the description may have come off as an exaggeration to most, but have been very 'real' to her.

[ladychris17]

Dan Brown strikes me as the kind of American na sobra ang bilib sa kapwa niya. 1/6 along the way palang ako sa Inferno but I've read him before and I don't like him.
Yung reaction kasi ni Sienna dun sa excerpt palang na nakita ko ha, (kasi di ko pa nabasa entirely), parang "eww omg third world!" and I have actually encountered some Americans who are like this, mostly belonging to the middle class, at mayaman naman ang middle class nila, pero gusto ng feeling na elite sila na di nila magawa sa States. Yung subtle attack palang sa UK accent ni Sienna, at yung preference ni Langdon sa tailored clothing despite being American, medyo arrogant na yung dating.
OA din yung reaction, though. It deserved nothing more than eye-roll and occassional bad review.
Pero public apology? Ok lang sila? Nakakalungkot lang isipin na naiiwan na ang Pinas in terms of sensibility and culture na OA maka react sa maliit na bagay - kopong kopong mentality.

Pero yun nga, I imagine Coelho cringing kay Dan Brown sa "Gates of Hell" issue, but not because it's untrue, rather, because Brown is always rather brash. Parang yung tipo ng tao na sa end of convo, ang gusto lagi na sasabihin niya "ok I win" which is the exact opposite of Coelho. lol

[katrinac]

Read this for 2 days, napagod talaga ako kakabasa - pano kasi walang ginawa si Robert dito kun di magtatakbo lakad lakad. Pero overall, i'd rate the book 3 out of 5. I really had a hard time reading the book kasi ang daming unfamiliar places sakin, so ang ginawa ko, ebook plus laptop. para sa mga unfamliar na places, ma search ko agad sa Google. 

In terms dun sa letter in Tolentino. Well, in a way, may pa ka exaggerated talaga yung pagka describe, kasi yun din ang reason ni (spoilers removed) para (spoilers remove ulit) hehe. Basta sa book na to, nagkaroon ng dahilan si Sienna na maging strong because of Manila. Dahil dun sa experience nya

In a way, parang totoo din naman, may parts na totoo naman talaga. siguro kung 100% na walang eksena na ganon na nanyayari sa Manila eh (walang nakawan, prostitution, etc)  yung sympathy ko na kay Tolentino pa. I'm just wondering, since work of art nga ito and purely imagination, ang galing ng imagination ni Dan Brown. 

[DV]

Ladies, are we in agreement that this thread is meant for those who have read the book, para ma-discuss natin yung ibang points?

---

If given the chance, would you annihilate (randomly) half of the population to save the human race? What's your stand?

[hush puppie]

for me, we can't blame Dan Brown's description of manila, its a bit harsh...but true..its what we
see on the primetime news and we read on the broadsheets... sometimes, even worse...
so yes...truth hurts

but let's not forget about him showing in the same chapter the extraordinary kindness of
the woman who saved sienna's life. it's a good point IMO.

[ladychris17]

Ladies, are we in agreement that this thread is meant for those who have read the book, para ma-discuss natin yung ibang points?

---

If given the chance, would you annihilate (randomly) half of the population to save the human race? What's your stand?

That's Hitler-ish, which I think is the good side of the book. Most often these murderous types are geniuses gone mad, and the book shows that side of humanity. Marami kasing ganyan mag isip, and Dan Brown, for all his faults, shows us a reasonable picture.

[Ms.Practical.88]

The problem presented in the book are real problems that we're just afraid to face.

[DV]

^^I think the Bertrand character gave a more 'humane' solution to the problem of overpopulation. I think I'll agree with what he did.

^That's true. We're in denial. Sabi nga sa book, denial is a way of coping with problems.

Ako naman, the book helped me understand why people act the way they do. I've observed that Filipinos have this mentality na parang laging nauubusan. They cut lines, put heaps of food on their plates in a buffet party, take things that are free even if they don't need them, grownups (not children at that) go crazy trick-or-treating, ayaw na ayaw nang naiisahan/nauunahan (ayaw magbigay o magparaya sa iba) like on the roads. China, the most populated country, wants to occupy its neighbors' islands. These behaviors are really about dwindling and limited resources. Very different from people in developed countries--they are more calm and mindful of others (kasi nga there is enough for every one) based on my observation.