Cameron Trost
Written on Sep 25, 2023
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 0553818279
- ISBN13 9780553818277
- Publish Date 1 September 2006 (first published 1 January 1975)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 7 February 2010
- 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
thepunktheory
Written on Mar 11, 2017
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
Written on Aug 4, 2009
empressbrooke
Written on Jun 28, 2009
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.