Which novel inspired Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island?

Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island was adapted from Dennis Lehane’s novel Shutter Island.

Lehane published the psychological thriller in 2003. The film version was released in 2010, with Leonardo DiCaprio playing U.S. Marshal Edward “Teddy” Daniels and Mark Ruffalo playing his partner, Chuck Aule.

The story takes place in 1954 on an isolated island that houses Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane. Scorsese’s adaptation uses recurring images, shifting memories, and an unreliable perspective to create uncertainty about what Teddy experiences.

The novel and film share the same title, which makes the source especially easy to identify but can also lead readers to overlook Lehane’s authorship. Shutter Island was not based on a historical case; it is a fictional work built around noir, psychological mystery, and postwar trauma.