Shutter Island ~ Dennis Lehane review

Shutter Island
Harper
August 25, 2009
400 Pages
Amazon

I missed at first that Shutter Island was based on a book, but it is, one by Dennis Lehane, the author of Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone among others.

On Shutter Island, off Massachusetts coast, Ashcliffe Hospital, a converted army base is now a hospital for the insane. The criminally insane--an important part not to forget. And now, impossibly, one of the patients (or prisoners, depending upon whom you're talking to) has escaped. US Marshals Teddy Daniels and his new partner Chuck Aule are called in to investigate and find the missing woman.

But Shutter Island and Ashcliffe Hospital are not all that they appear to be and Teddy and Chuck must work to uncover the mystery quickly--all in the midst of a hurricane. And more of course but what fun would it be if I told you everything? If you've seen the movie previews I'm sure you can see that it's worth seeing and therefore VERY worth reading first.

This is a fantastic, amazingly suspenseful tale of not only what psychiatry was like in 1954, but also what society was like then. The characters have a great deal of depth to them and they're all very well thought out and work well with each other (and against each other when it's called for) and just as soon as you think you know it all, there's more (be it plot or character wise).

If you haven't already seen the movie, I would definitely recommend reading this book first because it gives you so much more insight into the characters thoughts and actions and just who they all are than just seeing the movie would. And if you've seen the film already, I would still recommend reading book both because it's a great book that I would never regret reading even if there weren't a movie but I think it would still allow you to see more about the characters and events of the movie.

So if you've seen the movie, plan to see it, or even if you don't want to, I definitely think you should read Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island.

NB: In regards to it being 'adult' and not 'young adult,' there's adult language in the book but also some scenes with dreams, nudity, language and sex that are really not YA. I haven't seen the movie yet so I don't know if they're in the movie at all bu I can't imagine they could be. That's not much of it though, I think most if just for language, some violence and the fact that it is set at a hospital for the criminally insane and the basic plot.

10/10.