Sep 21 2007
Where Are Their Cell Phones?
I’ve finished reading Dan Brown’s 3 books — Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Digital Fortress. One more to go – the Deception Point. (BTW, Paupau, I’ve just found out Angels & Demons has an Illustrated Edition.)
No doubt, his books are all very good. Plots after plots, no breathing space, no boring scenes, catching your every attention. I just couldn’t put down the books once I started reading.
Anyway, there is one major issue I have with all Dan Brown’s novels. One very major issue.
In all the 3 books I’ve read, the MAIN characters do not carry any cell phone. Only a limited number of people carry a cell phone: Strathmore in Crypto, CERN Director (can’t remember his name, I have very short term memory), the policeman Fache, etc (who else??!!).
Robert Langdon, David Becker, Sophie Neveu, Vittoria Vetra, Susan Fletcher –> all do not carry a cell phone. I haven’t read Deception Point, but I guess they won’t carry any either?
In this century, it is hard to believe they don’t carry a hand phone. Come on! What’s cell phone’s penetration? In Malaysia, nearly everyone, including teenagers, have a mobile phone. I believe it must be higher in the States. Further, people like Vittoria and Susan are in high technological environment, it makes it even harder to believe they don’t use one.
I know, I know, I know… if David Becker has a cell phone, he would have been able to call Susan. If they all have a phone, they won’t have to risk looking for a pay phone, and they won’t have to worry about not having coins for the pay phones.
If they all have cell phones, the story would be completely different, and I believe the challenge in planting those plots would be more difficult for Dan Brown!
But then, it is just so unreal. We know even a granny or a teenage girl carries a cell phone nowadays. Cell phone’s penetration is even higher than fixed phone lines.
Yesterday, I’ve just finished reading Dean Koontz’s audio book – The Husband (hehe, I read a few books at the same time). The main character is a gardener, and he has a cell phone!!
So, to Dan Brown, maybe you want to make it more real to let your next book’s characters carry a cell phone? You can make him drop his phone and damage it, so the story can go on. But not carrying a cell phone nowadays is really unreal… 
yes yes… I just got both the illustrated copy for Angels & Demons and Da Vinci Code from my brother.
I’ve just started on Angels & Demons
paupau: I want to take a look at the illustrated copies!!! Can I?
of course, i’ll bring next time i visit u
Sophie has a mobile. He gave it to Langdon at the start in the Louvre to warn him about Fache. Then it was dropped I think. Well it is all fiction isn’t it. Just think that when this book was written the characters forgot to bring along the handphone. It happens to us in real life. Some times some episodes of our life we forget our handphones when we most need it.
Jojo: Ah ya, forgot that, Sophie has a cellphone but not mentioned later. I’m now half way through Deception Point, and this time Rachel has a cellphone – but ‘confiscated’.