Most people don't give too much thought to their perception of reality. They accept that what they see, hear, and do as fact, with no room for debate. But what if our grasp of reality is more tenuous than we think? What if what we see and know as happening is not necessarily so?
Set on a remote island that houses a hospital for the criminally insane, Denis Lehane's Shutter Island is a mind-bending thriller that explores these frightening questions that toy with our perceptions of what is real and what is not.
Shutter Island Plot
The year is 1954 and US Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule are sent to Ashecliffe Hospital, located on Shutter Island off the shores of Boston, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of psychotic patient Rachel Solando. The ferry only runs every few days across the choppy cold waters, so it stands to reason that the missing woman is still somewhere on the island.
Having disappeared from a locked room without a trace, the Marshals have only the coded message she left behind to assist in the search. The doctors, guards, and orderlies are hesitant to give away too much information and the men quickly realize that those assigned to help them may not be entirely trustworthy.
Nothing is as it Seems on Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island
It doesn't take long for Teddy Daniels to realize that something is amiss. A woman has vanished, the people in charge tell half-truths, and to top it off, a deadly hurricane is making its way toward the island. But that's not all. Officer Daniels has his own ulterior motives for being on the island – motives that lead him into some very dangerous territory.
Left bereft by the death of his wife, Teddy Daniels is on the hunt for the man responsible, a man he believes is somewhere on the island. Not just that, he's also discovered some disturbing information about experimental treatments being conducted on Ashecliffe's patients. Aside from the three wards housing patients, the island's lighthouse is roped off by an electric fence, and armed guards. Something sinister is going on in that lighthouse, and it's Teddy's job to figure out what it is.
Shutter Island is a Psychological Thriller About Altered Reality
Shutter Island submerges the reader in a twisted and eerie world; one based on vague facts and altered reality. Did Teddy choose the assignment or did the assignment choose him? Is he slipping into a state of paranoia or is he being fooled by those who are supposed to be helping him? Who can be trusted – the sane, or those deemed insane by society? One thing is sure: when his partner disappears Teddy must do everything he can to get off the island before the twisted doctors turn him into a patient, keeping him trapped forever.
Shutter Island is a richly plotted story with different levels of sub-mysteries that slide into each other seamlessly. The characterization is strong, particularly with the richly developed Teddy Daniels character: a successful federal agent with a violent streak, who comes across as brilliant yet damaged - the result of his life having been thrown off kilter by the tragic death of his wife. The flashbacks of their time together are beautifully told and make for a great read.
Shutter Island is an intense mystery and psychological thriller that builds towards something explosive, and delivers a climax that's as good as they come. Another winner from a man who knows exactly how to build suspense and delivers it to his readers in massive quantities.
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