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SHUTTER ISLAND is the second book Dennis Lehane has written since he completed his popular Patrick and Angie series. In SHUTTER ISLAND, the US Marshals, in the form of Teddy Daniels and his new partner Chuck Aule, investigate the disappearance of a female prisoner from Ashecliffe Hospital. This hospital is a combination of a mental institution and a federal prison. All of the inmates there were accused of horrible crimes but are unfit to survive in a regular prisons. The missing prisoner is accused of murdering her children but still thinks they are alive. Unfortunately, the Marshals face numerous difficulties as they search for the missing woman. First, Ashecliffe Hospital is on an island accessible only by ferry. Second, there are hurricane warnings that will impede the departure of anyone. And third, none of the staff or prisoners seem all that interested in finding the missing woman. Ashecliffe Hospital also has a history of using less than humane practices on their patients as well as participating in the drug trials of drugs that change brain chemistry, i.e. drugs that are now currently illegal such as LSD. Daniels is from a neighboring town and rather than being on familiar grounds, the entire situation becomes more and more difficult to deal with. He lost his wife in a fire and he has been unable to deal with his feelings of guilt. Something about the situation at Aschecliffe Hospital has him suspicious about everyone's true motives as well as his own. This suspicion begins to turn to paranoia as his memories begin to merge with those of the missing woman. His paranoia grows as every person he talks to alone, either tells him to run and to be careful because he is never alone, or tells him that he will never leave the island. Daniels must find his answers quickly before his understanding of reality and the world around him is replaced by the hospitals propaganda. Under the thriller and mystery elements of the plot, SHUTTER ISLAND raises interesting questions about perception and constructions of reality. Whether or not the reader buys into the whole larger conspiracy of the book, the idea that someone will try and change your understanding simply because they think they know more than you is fascinating. Also by setting the book at a mental hospital, Lehane has the opportunity to ponder the role of drugs, both legal and illegal, in a person's understanding of reality. The thought that drugs can change what you remember and how you remember it can be frightening, especially in the situation described in this book. Both MYSTIC RIVER and SHUTTER ISLAND have the same underlining theme of hopelessness and despair. None of the characters really have the chance of redemption that is offered in Lehane's previous books. To truly appreciate these books, it is vital that they are judged as standalones and part of the genre of noir fiction/ mystery. These books are an important part of this genre and will help expand noir through the years.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, May 2003
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