Sigh. Will I never learn?

In my last post, I mentioned that I was reading The Lost Symbol, mostly for research purposes. I mean, you can't work in a bookshop and not read what is essentially the most heavily anticipated book since the last Harry Potter, in my humble opinion, despite the anticipated lack of quality. And honestly, I'm not a book snob. Entertain me with a ripping yarn, and I don't care HOW badly you write. Lets face it. The last two Robert Langdon books were fun. They weren't fabulous, but they were fun. And who didn't love seeing the Catholic Church getting it's panties in a bunch over it?

So I wasn't TOO hesitant to give the latest one a try. Until page 8, where we have THIS little exchange.

"I thought so!" she said, beaming. "My book group read your book about the sacred feminine and the church! What a delicious scandal that one caused! You do enjoy putting the fox in the henhouse!"

Langdon smiled. "Scandal wasn't really my intention."

Excuse me? Did you just pull me OUT of your story for the sake of a hamfisted meta-justification for your last book? Am I reading too much into this? Or did Dan Brown just break the fourth wall in an attempt to "cleverly" address the criticisms leveled at The DaVinci Code? That's how it reads to me. Fuck you, Dan Brown! And what book club, on the face of the PLANET, is going to read some fucking cryptologists text on symbolism and the sacred feminine? Book clubs read Pride and Prejudice, or The Slap, or Life of Pi. Not a freaking textbook. It's ridiculous. Would never happen. And it has managed to turn me OFF your stupid book in EIGHT GODDAMN PAGES! That has to be some kind of record- even Matthew Reilley couldn't do that.

Very shoddy, Mr Brown. I expected more from you. I'm not sure why, but I did.