Books to Movies: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Hi there! *~waves~*  Just wanted to welcome all of our new visitors to the site, I'm glad you came!  For all of those returning visitors, thanks for your continued reader-ship (Hmmm, is that a word?  Maybe following-ness....well, you get the picture.....in two words, welcome back!).  Reading is a passion of mine and I am very happy to share my adventures with each of you!  Hopefully they will spark conversation, imagination, or at the very least a desire to try a title or two for yourself and increase your own TBR (to-be-read) piles!

Today's pick is a doozey.  It's a long published work that is about to be released as a movie starring none other than Leonardo DiCaprio.  (Okay...if you are a fan of his...enough with the swooning....this is about the book that inspired the movie....FOCUS...)  Have you guessed it yet?  The previews make it all dark and foreboding....not so far from the bookish truth.  Alright, alright....I'm not one to torture you for very long (leave that to a few of the characters in this story)....today's book of choice is....

Shutter Island

by

Dennis Lehane

Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule are two U.S. Marshals on a mission.  First stop....the bathroom for a glimpse into the porcelain oracle (that's the potty, for anyone confused by my choice of words).  Yep...turns out Teddy doesn't have the stomach for sailing the open seas.  Second stop, Shutter Island to figure out how one Rachel Solando managed to escape from a locked, secured room and disappear without a trace.  His aim... to uncover the truth.  (dun dun dun) The truth about what?  Aww....all shall be revealed (well, not all....I mean I'm not going to tell you how it ends, because HELLO...that would spoil it for you!).  You see, there is more than meets the eye in regards to both Teddy AND the island.  Both have their truths.  Both have their secrets.  But which one is more dark and devious than the other? 

In a place outside normal society filled with those that the world would rather forget, radical treatments are rumored to be explored as a means of settling the unsettled mind...some in fact that may be beyond the moral law.  With such things in question, is it any wonder that he begins to second guess his prior assumptions?  I mean, when you feel you can't trust your own mind, who can you depend on?  Is the truth really the truth, or merely a result of what others want us to believe?  The facts are all there.  The code is waiting to be broken.  Who will survive this game of wits, if in fact that is truly what it is?  Each has its own hidden agenda, but what that may be and to what means they will go to realize it will astound even the most seasoned of readers.  (dun dun dun....yep, there's your cliffhanger.....)

Wow!  Let me just say....WOW!  I mean, by the end of this book, I was turning pages so fast I had to MAKE myself not skim each paragraph to find out exactly what happens.  The ending is such a twist....there is really no way to anticipate it coming.  If you've read the book and say that you can...well, let's just say you're either Sherlock Holmes to my Watson, or fibbing just a bit.  (WHEW!  Okay, moving on...)  The characters are realistic, their intentions believable...so much in fact, you may cringe away in some instances as you feel the gaze of the steely eyed staff come upon you.

Now let's talk about the writing itself....a little bit of a different reaction.  While I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters, I wasn't as much of a fan of the writing in general.  There are lengthy passages of characters bantering back and forth in short one line sentences.  I don't know about you, but after a bit, you lose track of who is saying what in such instances.....the reaction being a re-read on that page or the pages in question, thus slowing down the read of the book.  One other note....the language.  Okay, I know it is a male author.  I also know that foul language or intimate situations are often narrated completely differently when looking at a male versus female viewpoint.  I also know that (okay, okay...perhaps know is too strong...how about, in my opinion...) were the crass words and descriptions censored a bit, the story would lose neither readers, nor value.  I mean, honestly....how many times can one say the "F" word in a short passage?  Well, the author does explore that to a certain extent to be sure, but I digress.  As much as the irritation was there upon reading the page, it was just as quickly overlooked when trying to move forward with the story...it simply was that good.

In the end, I'd recommend this book to anyone planning on seeing the movie (ME!).  As good as the trailer looks, the book does not disappoint!  One word of caution....I might suggest that readers be at least mid-to late teens or adults, due to the language and content (we are dealing with psychiatric prisoners...I mean they didn't get put in there for selling candy to strangers).  So....a showing of (virtual) hands....are YOU planning on seeing the movie?  Are you going to read the book first, last, or skip it altogether?  Thoughts, comments....feel free to share!

Until next time....happy reading!

**Review copy was purchased by yours truly!