Title: Shutter Island
Author: Dennis Lehane
Outline: The book opens with a prologue from the journal of Dr Lester Sheehan, his entry written after the events of the rest of the novel. Curious, we’re quickly launched into the story of Edward ‘Teddy’ Daniels, a U.S marshal who has been sent to Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane on Shutter Island to investigate a case of a missing patient. He’s accompanied by Chuck Aule, another U.S marshal and his partner for the duration of the story. The missing patient, Rachel Solando, institutionalized after drowning her three children, has disappeared from her securely locked cell, barefoot, and has left behind a series of coded clues. As Teddy and Chuck attempt to uncover information about Rachel and where she might be, we learn more about Teddy, his past, and that Rachel is not the only reason he’s on the island.
Highlights: Personally, I think the entire novel is excellent, but a highlight for me is the effortless switch in frame of mind at the end of the narrative; it’s so subtle, almost imperceptible, but it changes the entire ending and leaves you dazed and devastated. It is a prime example of very clever writing in a very clever novel.
Why I Read It: This is a rather embarrassing story, but when Leonardo DiCaprio won his (well-deserved) Oscar at the end of February, I decided to celebrate by watching some of his most famous films over the course of a week. One of the films I watched was Shutter Island, starring Leo, of course. At the end of the film when the credits started rolling, it said ‘based on the novel…’. I didn’t realise the film was adapted from a novel, and I always try to read books before I see the film. I rented the book from my school’s library the next day.
Rating: 9/10. A very original book with a very detailed plot, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It’s gripping, it’s creepy and it’s fast paced. It’s the sort of book you need to read and then re-read instantly, and then probably read again a few more times after that.
Words by Ruth Grove