Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island
From beginning to end, this psychological thriller has readers questioning everything they read. Lehane introduces characters in the Prologue that you come to know are real, definitively. Teddy exists. He is a real person. A U.S. Marshal, in fact. But by the end of this eloquently written, disturbingly, nightmarish thriller, you will question whether or not you, yourself exist.
Gals and ghouls, Lehane's book is not for the faint of heart. I am a professional reader and writer of the depraved, insane, unfathomably terrifying acts of evil man can commit. And this book, read before bed, gave me nightmares. Every. Single. Night. Why read it before bed, you might ask. I am one of those twisted individuals, who's a glutton for punishment in that regard. Nightmares end up being another form of inspiration for my writing, my second novel maybe.
By the end of this novel, you will want to go back and read it again and again to make sure you have caught everything. And to try and piece together the unraveling veil of reality Lehane has constructed and deconstructed right before your eyes. He is a magician of sorts, trading in the nightmares of the criminally insane. As I write this, I am flipping back and forth through the book, re-reading passages mentioned in the last chapter. Desperately trying to piece together some reality, any reality I can believe in. Alas, I am questioning everything I thought was fact 50 pages ago, 100 pages ago...in the prologue.
I will go see the movie to see if that illuminates something new, or solidifies some idea that's been bouncing around the dark corners of my brain. And I'm sure I will read this book again in the future, as I have read it before. Perhaps... Perhaps, Lehane wants me to remain confused and questioning reality. And perhaps that's what makes this book so great.
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