Know this: Lehane's new novel, his first since the highly praised and bestselling Mystic River, carries an ending so shocking yet so faithful to what has come before, that it will go down as one of the most aesthetically right resolutions ever written. But as anyone who has read him knows, Lehane, despite his mastery of the mechanics of suspense, is about much more than twists; here, he's in pursuit of the nature of self-knowledge and self-deception, and the ways in which both can be warped by violence and evil. In summer 1954, two U.S. marshals, protagonist Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck Aule, arrive on Shutter Island, not far from Boston, to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando from the prison/hospital for the criminally insane that dominates the island. The marshals' digging gets them nowhere fast as they learn of Rachel's apparently miraculous escape past locked doors and myriad guards, and as they encounter roadblocks and lies strewn across their path-most notably by the hospital's chief physician, the enigmatic J. Cawley-and pick up hints of illegal brain surgery performed at the hospital. Then, as a major hurricane bears down on the island, inciting a riot among the insane and cutting off all access to the mainland, they begin to fear for their lives. All of the characters-particularly Teddy, haunted by the tragic death of his wife-are wonderful creations, but no more wonderful than the spot-on dialogue with which Lehane brings them to life and the marvelous prose that enriches the narrative. There are mysteries within mysteries in this novel, some as obvious as the numerical codes that the missing patient leaves behind and which Teddy, a code breaker in WWII, must solve; some as deep as the most profound fears of the human heart. There is no mystery, however, about how good this book is; like Mystic River, it's a tour de force.
With the same compelling narrative style and sharp characterizations that made Mystic River such a splendid read, Dennis Lehane delivers another story that stretches the boundaries of the mystery genre but stays close enough to satisfy.
The year is 1954, and U. S. Marshal Teddy Daniels travels to Shutter Island, home of Ashcroft Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando. The mystery he encounters, however, is as much about this place, and him, as it is about the missing woman.
Teddy is still reeling in grief over the death of his wife, Delores: “Teddy wondered, and not for the first time, not by a long shot, if this was the day that missing her would finally be too much for him. If he could turn back the years to that morning of the fire and replace her body with his own, he would. That was a given. That has always been a given. But as the years passed, he missed her more, not less, and his need for her became a cut that would not scar over, would not stop leaking.”
With pain that deep, it would seem that perhaps Teddy has come to Shutter Island to kill the man who set the fire that consumed his apartment and his wife, but he has as much difficulty finding Laeddis as he did in locating Rachel. In fact, it seems like the head doctor and the administrator are working against him, which leads Teddy and his partner, Chuck, to wonder what is being covered up.
This is a dark and brooding tale, with just enough bright patches of humor to provide a welcome reprieve, and a hurricane presents a perfect backdrop. The sea and wind are as turbulent and relentless as Teddy’s emotions. Relief comes only in short periods of calm before the plot is ratcheted up another notch.
In classic Lehane style, the descriptions are so vivid one can feel the spray of the sea, hear the shrieks of the patients, feel the intensity of Teddy’s migraine pain, and smell the musky odor that evokes vivid memories of Delores. It is the kind of writing that begs the reader to take time to savor phrases and words and the images those words evoke.
Some readers might be disappointed in the ending, which is hard to explain without giving it away, and a bit more of a classic dénouement might have been more satisfying. But then, Lehane doesn’t promise the traditional "happy ending" for his tales because they are more like life than fiction, and life doesn’t always come to a satisfying conclusion.
© 2003 by Maryann Miller for Curled Up With a Good Book
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
No comments:
Post a Comment