You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

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Group Themed Reads: Discussions > Our September read ~ Shutter Island

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message 1: by Jenny, honorary mod - inactive (last edited Aug 11, 2010 02:59AM) (new)

Jenny (notestothemoon) | 846 comments

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Shutter Island is something of a departure for Dennis Lehane. It is not like the private eye novels with which he made his name and it is not especially like Mystic River, his distinguished crime novel about murder, loyalty and revenge. Instead, he gives us a classic of psychological suspense--US Marshal Teddy is summoned to a remote hospital for the criminally insane to look for a missing patient and finds his own future and sanity on the line. It is the 1950s and experiments with drugs, conditioning and brain surgery are all the rage both in the psychiatric profession and in the shadow world of government agencies.
Teddy rapidly becomes aware that no-one he is talking to is remotely telling him the truth and that he cannot be wholly sure even of his charming new partner. As the island hospital is isolated by a hurricane, we find ourselves unable to trust a single thing that the narrative tells us--Lehane displays a gift for sleight of hand which is showily disorienting. At the same time, this is not just a box of tricks. We find ourselves caring deeply for Teddy and his partner Chuck, whatever is going on and whoever they really are.--Roz Kaveney


message 2: by Jenny, honorary mod - inactive (new)

Jenny (notestothemoon) | 846 comments I've seen the movie before reading the book! Didn't even realise it was a book. It'll be interesting to read the book already knowing the story.


message 3: by Apokripos (new)

Apokripos (apokalypse) Oh! Shutter Island! Love the book! The movie's a fairly decent adaptation. Leonardo's great. Can't wait to discuss it! :)


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