I am a huge fan of Riley Sager, so when I heard that his latest novel had hit the stores, I couldn't resist getting my hands on a copy. The Unknown is an atmospheric thriller that seamlessly blends supernatural elements with suspense, creating an intriguing premise that immediately draws the reader in.
Marian Keane is a struggling actress who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she is selected to play one of the lead roles in an upcoming indie film directed by the celebrated filmmaker Ronan. The movie also features Violet, a veteran character actress, in a prominent role. Marian is cast alongside a couple of other newcomers, making it an exciting break for an aspiring actress like her.
It is, without doubt, the role of a lifetime. But there's a catch. Before filming begins, the principal cast and essential crew members must spend some time on New Avlon, a small island off the coast of Vermont where the story is set.
New Avlon, however, has a notorious past. Decades ago, the island was associated with witchcraft, and local folklore had it that Mrs Semple, the owner of the island, used to bring young girls there to perform witchcraft rituals. Interestingly, the film Ronan intends to make is also based on the diary of Daisy Rue, a village girl who was believed to have disappeared from the island along with five other girls several decades earlier.
The novel unfolds across two timelines: one set decades in the past, narrated through Daisy Rue's diary entries, and the other following the present-day happenings involving the film crew. Unnatural incidents begin to unfold in both timelines, and before long, we realise that history is repeating itself. Events described in Daisy's diary are eerily mirrored in the lives of Marian and her colleagues. There is also the unsettling possibility that Violet might be the reincarnation of Mrs Semple herself.
The novel has plenty of twists and turns. Although I found the first half somewhat predictable, the really clever revelations in the climax and the post-climactic portions more than made up for the predictability along the way.
On the whole, while the novel does follow a somewhat familiar formula, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is atmospheric, fast-paced and packed with some genuinely interesting twists towards the end. And the title makes perfect sense, both literally and figuratively.
0 comments:
Post a Comment