A few years ago, I had this idea while watching Shutter Island, a psychological thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese. The film, adapted from Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name (which is still on my must-read list), follows a U.S. Marshal who travels to a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a patient.

Spoiler alert ahead for anyone who hasn’t seen the film. DiCaprio’s character is ultimately revealed to be lucid, and the events leading up to the finale were all creations of his own mind because he himself is a patient.

The weight of that realization and the film’s memorable final line, “To live as a monster, or to die as a good man” stuck with me for months after that. It was the first time I had really seen a story depict the inner world of a psychiatric facility, and it left me with a question that would become my intention to write The Shape of Ordinary:

What if those of us living outside the walls of such institutions and doing our best to fit into what’s considered “normal”, are actually the ones who’ve lost all touch with reality?

Fifteen years later, that idea never really left me. It’s stayed with me as I’ve moved through life, keeping an open lens and heart toward those whom society labels as unnecessary or easily dismissed.

As a gay Black man living in America, I know what it feels like to be “othered”. That shared sense of being misunderstood deepened my desire to give a voice to people living at the margins of life. It felt not just meaningful, but necessary.

Putting Pen To Paper

I began writing the Shape of Ordinary in April of 2025. Born from fifteen years of reflection, experience, and connections that slowly, but surely became the foundation for the story.

From the start, it was important to me that every chapter had its own takeaway. The book explores how we see ourselves, the value of boundaries, and the connections we make that go beyond words.

My goal was to explore the impact that building bridges and not walls can have. That lessons and connections in life can come from the most unexpected places.

A Final Thought

The Shape of Ordinary is as an invitation to see others not just for who we think they are. To look beyond the assumptions we make and hold space for empathy and understanding. It’s also an attempt to answer the question that lingered in my mind after watching Shutter Island. What if those living outside the walls are actually the ones who’ve lost all touch with reality?

— James Burge
Author of The Shape of Ordinary