The character in Shutter Island is not so much a villian as
he is a victim of circumstances that caused a psychotic
break. The reader doesn't understand this until the end of
the book. You think you're reading one story, and it turns
out to be a very different story. It's very well done. While
critics and publishers give Lehane his due, this list has
been lambasting him so anyone reading these comments would
think he was on a level with Dan Brown: hyped mediocrity. In
my experience, this is certainly not the case.
Patrick King
---
DJ-Anonyme@webtv.net wrote:
> Patrick:
>
> "I don't think I've ever read anything
that
> completely reversed the
> entire view of the story in the last third of
the
> book. I really thought
> it was brilliant. To set up a character as
a
> protagonist, and then turn
> him into the focus of the problem. I think
it
> approaches 'great
> literature.' Can't really think who it's
derivitive
> of, can you?"
>
> I haven't read Shutter Island, so I can't
say
> whether of not it is
> derivative, but there is certainly precedence for
a
> seeming protagonist
> turning out to be the antagonist, a
seemingly
> reliable narrator turning
> out to be very much the opposite. For instance,
I
> can think of at least
> two private eye books, one vintage, one
pretty
> recent, in which the PI
> is investigating a crime or series of crimes he
had
> committed, trying to
> cover them up and/or frame a fall guy. I'd
been
> wanting to bring this
> up here, ask about others, but couldn't think of
a
> way to discuss them
> without spoiling them. How do I ask for books
in
> which the narrator
> turns out the be the bad guy without
knowing
> whodunnit? Would kind of
> kill the suspense.
>
> "I think Lehane may be the most under-rated
writer
> of the present day."
>
> Lehane underrated? How do you figure? He
sells
> well and gets rave
> reviews -- the cover of my paperback copy of
Mystic
> River, for instance,
> proclaims it was a New York Times Bestseller
(and
> this was before the
> movie, which probably led to even more
sales);
> inside are five pages
> filled with excerpts of raves from most of
the
> respected book reviews.
> I'm sure many authors wish they were so
underrated.
>
> Mark
>
>
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