BOOK REVIEW

ON
SHUTTER ISLAND

Subject : English Reading Skills

Course ID : ENG 102
Faculty :
Section :
Submission :

Name :
ID
Semester :
Introduction:
“Shutter Island” is a novel by American writer Dennis Lehane. It was published by Harper
Collins in April 2003. It’s a psychological thriller or more of a gothic genre storyline. This
novel is based on U.S. marshals Teddy Daniels and an asylum which is on shutter island.
Here Teddy is the main character. The novel has been adapted into a film by director Martin
Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels in 2010. Let’s talk about the story
line of this brilliant novel.

Plot:
In 1954, widower U.S. Marshal Edward Teddy and his new partner Chuck Aule go on a boat
to Shutter Island, the home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane, to investigate the
disappearance of a patient, Rachel Solando. She has escaped the hospital and apparently the
desolate island, despite being kept in a locked cell under constant supervision. Teddy breaks
the code given by Rachel where there is a patient 67th where there is only record of 66
patients. By time Teddy revels that he is here to take the avenge of his wife who was killed
by the man named Andrew Laeddis. After hurricane hits the island, Teddy and Chuck
investigate Ward C, where Teddy thinks government experiments with drugs. While
separated from Chuck for a short while in Ward C, Teddy meets a patient called George
Noyce, who tells him that everything is a planed game designed only for him, and that Chuck
isn’t someone to trust. Teddy discovers a woman in a sea cave who says she is the real
Rachel Solando. but she was found by her own in 4th day. She tells him she was actually a
psychiatrist at Ashecliffe, and when she found out about the illegal experiments being run by
them, she was incarcerated as a patient. She escaped and has been hiding in different places
on the island. She warns him about the other residents of the island, telling him to take care
with the food, medication and cigarettes, which might be forged by drugs.
Teddy eventually suspects that light house is where these drug experiments are going on.
Teddy had fear of both water and fire. But he covers up those and swims towards light house.
He reaches the top of the lighthouse and finds only hospital administrator Dr. Cawley seated
at a desk. Cawley tells Teddy that he himself is in fact Andrew Laeddis (an anagram of
Edward Daniels) and that he has been a patient at Shutter Island for two years for murdering
his wife, Dolores Chanal (an anagram of Rachel Solando), after she murdered their three
children. Teddy refuses to believe this and he grabs the gun, tries to shoot Dr. Cawley; but the
weapon is a toy water pistol. Chuck then enters, revealing that he is actually Andrew's
psychiatrist, Dr. Lester Sheehan. He is told that Dr. Cawley and Chuck/Sheehan have devised
this treatment to allow him to live out his elaborate fantasy, in order to confront the truth, or
else undergo a radical lobotomy treatment. Teddy/Andrew accepts that he killed his wife and
his service as a US Marshal was a long time ago.
But in the ending of novel there are three things that was unclear.
One: Was Teddy right about Ashecliffe hospital and about drug experiment
Three: Which reality was true: the recovery or the investigation?
Two: Did teddy really recover from that treatment or not?
 Review Unit

Personal Opinion:
I personally prefer psychological thriller stories which will make me glued to the end.
“Shutter island” novel doesn’t include many twists and turns which will lead you to the end
markings. It’s an “OPEN END” novel. Open end means the writer has given the whole
responsibility to the reader for thinking the ending by his own. Shutter Island is the rare book
that isn’t diminished by knowing the ending in advance. Dialogues and verbal
communications between Teddy and others like Chuck, His imaginary Rachel Solondo, Dr.
Cawley were delivered just brilliantly. Specially the part when Teddy and imaginary Rachel
met, their dialogues will drag you to your own conclusion where you will be forced to think
that there is a drug experiment happening. This book magnificently delivered its story where
you will constantly change your mind till end. The last line when Teddy said “Which would
be worse, to live as a monster or to die as a good man?” had me in delusion.
Overall, this particular novel has its own never ending conclusions.

What this book spoke to me:

Special needs people are out there who needs caring. Ashecliffe Hospital was for special
people but with a criminal record. It speaks for mid 20’s century when there was a lobotomy
treatment for dangerous criminally insane where your emotional thinking will be destroyed
and make them a man without emotional thinking. This brutal truth hurts me the most where
some people were against this treatment but can’t do anything. And there are people, insane
people who are in denial of their illness. I feel worst when I am roaming in this world freely
with a stable mind, there are people out there where they can’t event think properly. I was
shocked after knowing the process of Lobotomy treatment.
These brutal truths were horrifying for me but as well as spoke to me.

Dislikes:
Not every story is perfect like there isn’t any perfect crime. I found one plot hole. For me this
one can be a plot hole where other reader might not be agreeing with me.
Teddy was an alcoholic, which kind of deluded me the he was a bit abusive towards his wife
and his children. But in all over it was showed that there was one character. The loving
husband. But in that point it brings me to the abusive husband. This one wasn’t clear to me.
But rather than that I was blown way by its story telling. I would recommend others to read
this novel and watch the movie which had brilliant actors like  Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark
Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley and etc. the direction of the movie was just done the way every
mystery loving watcher and the book lover would want.