Lehane's prose takes readers on gripping ride through 'Shutter Island'
Spencer Taylor
Issue date: 12/9/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
In Shutter Island, rising author Dennis Lehane has produced another powerhouse work that will truly leave a lasting impression on the reader.
Having started to read Lehane's work last summer, I can safely say that Shutter Island is a slight departure from his Kenzie/Gennaro series that I am most acquainted with. While his strong narrative is present, Lehane's thriller gets in the reader's mind and leaves its mark well after the last page is turned.
The year is 1954 and U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner Chuck Aule are sent to Shutter Island to investigate the impossible escape of a patient at a high-security mental hospital.
While attempting to decipher codes left behind by the escaped patient, Daniels and Aule must overcome the somber environment of the island and the hurricane bearing down upon them.
Soon isolated on the island, the plot begins
to thicken as the marshals realize that things are not as they seem on Shutter Island. While that statement ultimately leads to be a double entendre, I will say no more to avoid spoiling the plot to any potential readers.
The perception given to the reader changes dramatically throughout the story and this feeling of uncertainty is what really sets Island apart from the common thriller.
Lehane's gripping narrative is as strong as ever in Island, and the change in venue (from the streets of Boston to the storm-swept shores of Shutter Island) was a refreshing aspect of this book that immediately scored well with me.
With strong, likeable characters in Daniels and Aule, Lehane has managed to feed a thread of characters into his work without them becoming stale or copies of each other, something rare with writers who choose to only stay in a specific genre for so long.
While I have few complaints about the novel, it seemed to strike me after reading it that Lehane has become fond of a general plot flow that I can see throughout his past work, and this is no exception.
Using a "hidden in plain sight" style to wrap up his works, Lehane's method hasn't become predictable, but it has started to lose freshness. Not as cut and dry as say, a Scooby-Doo episode, Lehane's work seems to be at risk for adopting a consistent plot resolution not too far removed from "..and that stinking dog, too!"
Perhaps I'm just a novice to Lehane's overall collection of works, and it's not really a complaint I would set much by if you're debating on whether or not to read the book.
By all means, do not deny yourself an opportunity to read a great novel by one of America's most talented and rising authors.
A film adaptation by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio is due to hit theaters February 19th.
Having started to read Lehane's work last summer, I can safely say that Shutter Island is a slight departure from his Kenzie/Gennaro series that I am most acquainted with. While his strong narrative is present, Lehane's thriller gets in the reader's mind and leaves its mark well after the last page is turned.
The year is 1954 and U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner Chuck Aule are sent to Shutter Island to investigate the impossible escape of a patient at a high-security mental hospital.
While attempting to decipher codes left behind by the escaped patient, Daniels and Aule must overcome the somber environment of the island and the hurricane bearing down upon them.
Soon isolated on the island, the plot begins
to thicken as the marshals realize that things are not as they seem on Shutter Island. While that statement ultimately leads to be a double entendre, I will say no more to avoid spoiling the plot to any potential readers.
The perception given to the reader changes dramatically throughout the story and this feeling of uncertainty is what really sets Island apart from the common thriller.
Lehane's gripping narrative is as strong as ever in Island, and the change in venue (from the streets of Boston to the storm-swept shores of Shutter Island) was a refreshing aspect of this book that immediately scored well with me.
With strong, likeable characters in Daniels and Aule, Lehane has managed to feed a thread of characters into his work without them becoming stale or copies of each other, something rare with writers who choose to only stay in a specific genre for so long.
While I have few complaints about the novel, it seemed to strike me after reading it that Lehane has become fond of a general plot flow that I can see throughout his past work, and this is no exception.
Using a "hidden in plain sight" style to wrap up his works, Lehane's method hasn't become predictable, but it has started to lose freshness. Not as cut and dry as say, a Scooby-Doo episode, Lehane's work seems to be at risk for adopting a consistent plot resolution not too far removed from "..and that stinking dog, too!"
Perhaps I'm just a novice to Lehane's overall collection of works, and it's not really a complaint I would set much by if you're debating on whether or not to read the book.
By all means, do not deny yourself an opportunity to read a great novel by one of America's most talented and rising authors.
A film adaptation by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio is due to hit theaters February 19th.
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