Shutter Island
Often recommended for:
plot twist psychological thrillers unreliable narrator mindf*ck books crime mysteryWhat do readers say about Shutter Island?
Synopsis:
Hammett Prize - Int'l. Assn. of Crime Writers Nominee
The basis for the blockbuster motion picture directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island by New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane is a gripping and atmospheric psychological thriller where nothing is quite what it seems. The New York Times calls Shutter Island, "Startlingly original." The Washington Post raves, "Brilliantly conceived and executed." A masterwork of suspense and surprise from the author of Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone, Shutter Island carries the reader into a nightmare world of madness, mind control, and CIA Cold War paranoia and is unlike anything you've ever read before.
Excerpt:
TEDDY DANIELS’S FATHER had been a fisherman. He lost his boat to the bank in ’31 when Teddy was eleven, spent the rest of his life hiring onto other boats when they had the work, unloading freight alo...
About the Author:
Dennis Lehane grew up in the Dorchester section of Boston's inner-city. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a counsellor with mentally handicapped and abused children, waited tables, parked cars, drove limos, worked in bookstores, and loaded tractor-trailers. His one regret is that no one ever gave him a chance to tend bar. He has an MFA from Florida International University, and is the writer-in-residence at Eckerd College in St Petersburg, Florida, where he runs the Writers in Paradise Writers' Conference. He and his wife divide their time between St. Petersburg and Boston. For more information on Dennis Lehane and his novels, visit his website: www.dennislehanebooks.com
Ratings (8):
Incredible (1) | |
Loved It (5) | |
Did Not Like (2) |
Reader Stats (12):
Read It (7) | |
Want To Read (5) |
Reviews:
R. S. Bradley It's easy to fall into Teddy's mind and become infected with his paranoia right from the beginning, too see danger everywhere you look. As a reader, I enjoy this type of writing, as I generally read to become one with the characters.
There isn't a lot of quick, battle-like action in Shutter Island, but I find that the slower burn of bits and pieces, clues that may or may not be actual clues, much more effective in building the tension than the all out "fight for your life" scenarios in other types of stories.
To me, the book is well-written, and the characters are well-rounded. The ending is surprising the first time you read the book, and all the little details here and there are wrapped up by the last page. In addition, the book has a high re-read value and will deliver just as much on subsequent readings as on the first one.
