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About the author
Dennis Lehane grew up in
Boston. Since his first novel "A Drink Before the War" won the Shams prize, he has published twelve novels translated into more than 30 languages and
became an international bestseller: Darkness, Take My Hand; Sacred; Gone baby gone; Prayers for Rain; Mystic River; Shutter Island; The Given Day; Moonlight
Mile; Live by Night; and World Gone By. His most recent work is a stand-alone novel, Since We Fell.
Review
A pair of the US Marshall is
sent to a secluded place called Shutter Island which is home for the criminally
insane.
The Cold War has arrived on the morning of 1954. Edward Daniel and Charles, his new partner arrived at the Hospital Ashecliffe in 1954. Dr. Cawley was the head doctor of the place. He often referred to his inmates as patients, rather than prisoners. Edwards always believed Dr. Cawley his hiding something.
Their main reason for arrival was the investigation of the disappearance of patient inmate Rachel Solando, who supposedly murdered her 3 children but refused to believe that they were dead. Edward began his investigation with Charles while battling his own troubled past.
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The
main questions which grew up on Edward were that how Rachel escaped from a
locked room and what was the meaning of the note she left behind saying “The
law of 67”.
During their investigation, Edward and Charles came across certain aspects of the Island which let them believe that this was not a simple mental hospital and their arrival there was not incidental but staged. Charles suspects that the government or the military are behind this project and they want to get rid of Edward because he wants to expose Ashecliffe.
Things took a different turn when suddenly the hospital’s staff found Rachel, their investigation was complete but Edward wanted to stay there and find out the truth of the place. Moreover, due to stormy weather, they couldn’t catch a ferry back to the mainland. Hidden truths about the Island come to light, which makes Edward question everything around him.
He questions
the practices used by Dr. Cawley and the team on the patients, and his findings led
him to conclude that this place was a place of brainwashing and resetting the
criminally insane and sending them back to the mainland to wreak havoc. While on
investigation Edward starts doubting Charles and his intentions, which causes
them to separate. Edward then goes to the lighthouse where Dr. Cawley carries
out his inhumane experiments.
At the Island, Edward was also in search of Andrew Laeddis, the person who killed his wife by causing a fire in their building. After reaching the Lighthouse, Charles finds that no such experiments were being practiced. There he meets Mr. Cawley who tells him that all this is in his head, he has no partner named Charles and he was a patient at the Island for the last 2 years.
He has created the persona of
Edward Daniels because he was not ready to accept who he really is. His real name was Andrew Laeddis, he was at shutter Island on account of murdering his
wife, because she killed their children. The man supposedly Charles was
actually his psychiatrist, he and Dr. Cawley came up with the plan to create a
charade for Andrew. So that he can accept who he really is.
The book has a twist at the
end, which changes the whole dynamic of the plot and makes the book much more
thrilling and a treat to read.
- My ratings for the book: 4.5/5
You can buy this book easily from Amazon: Shutter Island
Written By - Nachiket Kekre
E Edited By - Anamika Malik
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