The Unknown
Fantasy · Fiction · Mystery & Thriller
Editorial review
Riley Sager returns to the realm of psychological dread with a narrative that bridges a century of unexplained tragedy. The story centers on New Avalon, a remote Vermont island where five women vanished in 1926, leaving behind nothing but their dresses hanging from an oak tree. A hundred years later, the island becomes the backdrop for a major motion picture, drawing actress Marin Keane into a production that feels uncomfortably close to the original mystery. As the cast and crew attempt to immerse themselves in the island's history, the line between cinematic rehearsal and a repeating cycle of disappearances begins to blur.
The atmosphere is thick with a sense of historical haunting, bolstered by the inclusion of a diary from one of the original missing women. This dual-timeline approach allows the tension to build through both the modern-day isolation of the film crew and the lingering shadows of the 1920s commune. The setting functions almost as a character itself, fostering a pervasive unease that makes the characters' growing suspicions feel earned. The isolation of the island, combined with the lack of modern amenities during the shoot, heightens the feeling of vulnerability.
While the pacing is generally relentless, the structure relies heavily on mirrored character dynamics across the two eras. This creates a complex web of parallels that rewards attentive readers but may occasionally require extra effort to track. Some may find the heavy reliance on unexpected turns to be jarring, yet the cumulative effect is a story that consistently challenges the reader's assumptions. It is a work that leans into the uncanny, blending the possibility of human malice with the suggestion of something far more inexplicable lurking in the Vermont woods.
Book summary
In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it’s happening again. Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery of New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She’s even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot. Because New Avalon isn’t your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums—until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a séance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one. Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realize all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island's previous occupants. And after a sudden health emergency leaves Marin, Ronan, and the other actors stranded on the island, the disappearances begin again. Is it the work of someone trying to derail the movie? Or is the island’s alleged supernatural past catching up with the present? As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy’s diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon—and how to keep the island’s terrible history from repeating itself.