It has been a very long time since I’ve finished a book with a twist as shocking as the one Dennis Lehane throws at his readers in Shutter Island. I’d like to say that I picked up clues on the twist here and there in the novel, but I assure you that there is no time to do so. You will be so wrapped up in this psychological thriller and so sympathetic to the main character, Teddy Daniels, that any possible clues will go right over your head. I’m not even positive that a twist is the correct word for this. Truthfully, I think readers begin to fool themselves right along with Teddy and the shock back to reality is so suprising that you will want to call it a twist so you don’t feel too lead astray by your own mind.
Shutter Island is set in the mid 1950’s where we find two U.S. Marshals, Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, who have taken an assignment at Ashcliffe Hospital located on a small island off the coast of Massachusetts. Now I don’t know about you, but any time there is a hospital located on an island it’s pretty easy to guess that it’s not a hospital for happy children and their pet unicorns. In this case it’s a hospital for the criminally insane and Teddy and Chuck have been given the lucky assignment to investigate the disappearance of one of the patients. The plot moves along very quickly and soon enough readers are wondering, along with Chuck and Teddy, how exactly a criminally insane patient disappears from their locked cell past a myriad of guards and obstacles. When we start to get hints of the hospital’s administration using the patients for radical experimental surgery, readers will know that there is an inside job to uncover. And that uncovering is not going to go smoothly.
Lehane wrote this book back in 2003 but the past few years have created additional publicity due to Martin Scorsese showing interest in making a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. After a few setbacks, the movie is currently slated to debut in February of 2010. Here is the latest trailer for your viewing pleasure:
this sounds like a thrilling thriller. i like how you describe the island setting – aint no unicorns. and the twist-non-twist-twist is appealing.
The trailer’s quite exciting. Glad you enjoyed the book, too.
i’m adding this one to my thriller and suspense challenge ;-D