Gone Baby Gone. Mystic River. And now Shutter Island. The man is awesome, folks, and he's so awesome that even the movies made from his work turn out awesome, which is saying a lot. I haven't read Gone Baby Gone's book, but I have been royally mind****ed by Shutter Island and am currently trudging through the great dark, abyssal void that is Mystic River. Amazing so far. Discuss.
A kindred soul. Huge, huge HUGE Lehane fan here. Shutter Island was so good - and so unexpected from his previous works. I was totally absorbed all the way through, and when I got to the end? I all but jumped out of bed and started screaming. I knew it was coming, but I didn't know for sure, and so I was on the edge of my seat until the last moment. All of the Patrick & Angela books are so vivid, I really wasn't expecting Mystic River to be that good. I mean, come on? He's like the Golden Boy of storytelling. I was absolutely amazed how he could go from Gone Baby Gone and Darkness Take My Hand, etc., to the huge, expansive, multi POV Mystic River. But it was genius, pure genius. And, like you pointed out - his movies don't blow like so many others do. I'm scooting around in this post, but if you've read them - which you obviously have - I'm sure you understand. Trying to compare them all is like trying to compare different chocolates or fine wines. They're ALL unbelievable. I read an interview he gave and did you know, Mystic River started out with the thought, "loved Katie Marcus like movie star love" when he was out on a run? He is seriously underrated. I'm hoping Shutter Island is made into a film. If he stays true to form, it should rule the box office.
Shutter Island made me afraid of the dark for the rest of the night after I finished it. I haven't read all of his books yet, but yeah, the transition between Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River was just...astonishing, really, it was like looking at a mountain compared to a molehill - and Gone Baby Gone was still so good in itself!
