Shutter Island (2003)

This book was published in 2003, and I finally got around to listening to it. I've not seen the movie, and I think if I had seen it before I read the book, the book would have lost some of its luster. It has the noir fiction feel, and it's set in the 50s, and fits into that period quite well.

A federal marshal, the protagonist of the story, comes to an island with another federal marshal. The island is an isolated and secretive institution for the criminally insane. And there is something hinky going on there. The marshals have to investigate, but not reveal our protagonist's more personal reason for the visit. A hurricane makes everything more difficult.

I was not expecting the ending I got, and the book was all the better for that. Perhaps readers more astute than I will have guessed what happened, but I didn't.

The plot was strong, and I loved the noir pulp fiction flavor. If you like a bit of retro writing with your psychological thrillers, I think you'll enjoy this one. ( )

I have to say, I was a little underwhelmed and I think it’s because of the hype. When I picked this up to read, many people told me how much they loved this book and what a great psychological thriller it was, so I had (perhaps unreasonably) high expectations.

I knew there had to be a big twist coming and while I did not guess all of the details, the twist itself didn’t really come as a huge shock. Rather, the whole thing was a bit of a let down. Sometimes, it really is better to go into something completely blind, with no expectations at all. Maybe I’ll feel differently in the morning, when I’ve had time to ruminate about what I’ve read, but as of right now, I feel rather “meh” about it. ( )

Loved it. It's preposterous. Ridiculous even. But what a fun read. ( )

Wow wow wow and once again: Wow! I've got no other words to describe it! A thrilling and straightforward book with an unexpected ending! A thought-provoking novel. For all lovers of psychology. It is highly recommended! There are shocking parts in the book but it's worth everything, and it's part of the experience! ( )

Shutter Island presents itself as a thriller novel with a kind of noir vibe to the story-telling. Set in the 1950s against the backdrop of the psychiatry and psychosurgery, the novel takes place in a remote location with two men relying on one another in an extreme situation. Though they are given due courtesy as U.S Marshals, it is clear from the outset that they are intruders upon the island and the environment of the hospital.

During the course of the novel, we are given glimpses into Teddy Daniels’ character in a manner that should allow the reader to infer that the story is just as much a love story as it is a crime novel. Teddy Daniels has been devastated by the death of his wife and spends just as much time remembering her in various ways as he does trying to solve the riddle of the missing patient.

The novel does a wonderful job of presenting you with a character who is driven, but flawed. Each moment he is not focusing on the task at hand, Teddy’s thoughts are always drawn back to Dolores and his fervent wish that her loss would just fade from him, become less sharp and immediate. But also, we are given the sense that diminishing her is the last thing he would want.

Chuck’s narrative is non-existent due to the third person limited viewpoint, but he is often in contrast to Teddy in the sense that he is charming, well liked, and easy going. He plays more of a side-kick role to Teddy as the lead in the book more than anything. This isn’t to say the character isn’t well thought out, he is. It is just that he exists only as the rock against which Teddy can break himself upon during their dialogue.

For those that have already seen the film adaption, I would recommend picking up the book anyway, as the insight into Teddy’s character seen through the immediate eyes of his loss is worth experiencing despite full knowledge of the plot. ( )