Shutter Island

Ok, I confess: the first time I'd heard of this work was by seeing the trailer of Shutter Island in the movie theatre. It looked creepy and pretty awesome. The setting, an island prison, kind of reminded me of Alcatraz (the highlight of our SF trip last winter), and the period was a little Mad Men-ish.

So I was a more than a little surprised when Shane brought home this book Shutter Island from the library! It's a book? Huh? So the book came first, and the author, Dennis Lehane, is pretty damn famous, having written other books that became movie adaptations, such as Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone.

You know how some books you sip like fine wine, savouring the taste and the swishes in your mouth? Well this one is decidedly a piping hot pizza loaded with cheese that you just devour in a few minutes. It's a page turner, grips you and compels you to read it to the end. I finished this book in about 2 days, and it even made me miss my skytrain stop (by three stops!) while I was reading it.

It's set in the late 50's, and is about a Marshall who is sent to the prison island to investigate a missing female prisoner. But the prison is also a pyschiatric hospital, filled with people who have done the worst crimes, and who are extremely dangerous and unbalanced. It becomes clear that the place is not exactly what it seems....

It's a story full of twists, and the book takes really unexpected turns. A recommended thriller, especially if you're in the mood for something lighter that will pass the time in a snap.