Shutter Island (Negra (RBA Libros), #40) (Bolsillo)

by Dennis Lehane

Summer, 1954. US Marshal Teddy Daniels has come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Along with his partner, Chuck Aule, he sets out to find an escaped murderess named Rachel Solando as a hurricane bears down upon them. But nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems, and neither is Teddy Daniels. Is he there to find a missing patient? Or has he been sent to look into rumours of Ashecliffe's radical approach to psychiatry? Rumours that hint of drug experimentation, surgical trials, and lethal countermoves in the shadow war against Soviet brainwashing...As the investigation deepens, the questions mount. How has a barefoot woman escaped an island from a locked room? Who is leaving them clues in the form of cryptic codes? Why is there no record of a patient committed just one year before? What really goes on in Ward C? Why is an empty lighthouse surrounded by an electrified fence and armed guards? The closer Teddy and Chuck get to the truth, the more elusive it becomes, and the more they begin to believe that they may never leave Shutter Island. Because someone is trying to drive them insane...

• ISBN10: 055381382X
• ISBN13: 9780553813821
• Publish Date: 1 May 2004 (first published 1 January 1975)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 November 2006
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
• Imprint: Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
• Edition: New edition
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cameron Trost]

One of the best novels I've ever read and one of very few (alongside High-Rise by JG Ballard, for example) that I'd consider calling flawless. Poignant, evocative, touching, and thrilling from the first page to the last. Why did I wait so long to read this? Fans of Dennis Lehane, please tell me which of his books I should read next.

[thepunktheory]

Book vs. Movie:
Let's kick off with the novel. It was a fascinating read that kept surprising you with a twisted plot that was hard to see through. I could hardly put the book down, as I was so intrigued to find out what would happen next. Especially the ending came as a huge surprise!
Well, I am convinced that you could make an amazing film out of this, so I was excited to see Scorsese's adaptation.
First of all, Leonardo DiCaprio gives a stunning performance as Teddy Daniels. But that's already where my praise ends.
In the novel Daniels has many flashback both about his time in the army in Germany and about his dead wife. In written form those little inserts work out rather well, tying in with the overall vibe of the book. However, in the film especially the army parts felt completely out of place. Those scenes were more irritating than a welcome addition. The parts about his wife also didn't feel as atmospheric as they could have been. The connection with the overall story is not a strong as it is in the book and much of the intensity was lost.
In general I have the feeling you need to watch the film multiple times to fully grasp what's going on. If you only see it once you might end up a bit confused.
To be honest, this being a Martin Scorsese movie with so many great actors among the cast I had expected something better. I know many of his other films and this is most certainly not his best work.

Well, the movie looked promising but ended up as a weak and confusing adaptation of the novel. It may not even be the best book out there, but it certainly was a thrilling story to read!

[Eve1972]

My husband had picked this one up from the library and since I recently seen the trailer for the Martin Scorsese film they made from the book and thought it looked really good, I figured I would give this a read also! I liked it for the most part, it was enjoyable, creepy and kept my interest. That being said, I pretty much had it figured out 100 pages into the book, I don't want to give to much away so I'll just leave it at that. Overall, a fast and decent read.

[empressbrooke]

I decided it was about time I read a Lehane novel BEFORE the movie came out and made me think, "Oh, I've already seen the movie, I should read a book where I don't already know the ending instead."

And what an ending it was, although one I saw coming. I think it's because I've read (or maybe watched) similar stories before, and Lehane did a good job setting up some clues.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes atmospheric mysteries. The whole setting is very creepy, and the previews for the movie fed some great imagery into my head to go with the words.