“The Unknown” by Riley Sagar
By Dylan Pichnarcik
Editor-in-Chief
Riley Sagar kept readers guessing this summer with his latest novel, “The Unknown,” which hit store shelves on Aug. 4. “The Unknown” is Sagar's 10th novel and draws on elements from all of his previous work. It is a modern-gothic page-turner that grabs you and doesn’t let you go long after you’ve read the last page. The novel follows a struggling actress, Marin Keane, who lands her first role in a major film about the mystery of the fictitious island of New Avalon in Vermont. As a part of her role, she and the crew must take a weeklong research trip to the island. New Avalon is the perfect backdrop for a New England mystery novel. It sits imposingly in the middle of a lake and, a century prior, was a hotspot for spiritual activity and mediumship. In 1926, the women who inhabited the island disappeared, leaving only five dresses hanging from a tree and the diary of one of the island's inhabitants, Daisy Rue. Soon after arriving, Keane and the crew begin to realize something still isn’t quite right with the island, hearing strange noises in the dead of night. After a sudden emergency leaves the cast stranded, New Avalon strikes again as disappearances start once more. As the characters begin to fear for their lives, questioning whether the disappearances are the work of man or something more sinister, Keane turns to the diary of Rue, hoping it will provide answers to what might be going on. The isolation of New Avalon is one of the novel’s strongest elements. The island creates an immediate sense of unease, cemented by the fact the cast lives as if they were 100 years in the past. Sagar uses the setting to create a sense of unease that ruminates throughout the novel, making the characters seem utterly hopeless in their situation. The brilliance of this novel comes from its slow burn - an element present throughout all of Sagar’s work. Just when the story begins to feel predictable or drawn out, Sagar’s writing hits you like a tidal wave, providing the satisfying plot twist everyone yearns for. Another recurring element in Sagar’s work is his expert use of the book-within-a-book. Avid fans of Sagar will recognize this technique from his prior novel, “Home Before Dark,” which follows the writer of a fictitious haunted house story and his family. In both books, we are reading passages written by the “authors.” This makes the world of Sagar’s characters come alive much more than if the protagonist were simply recounting the events. The use of Rue’s diary in “The Unknown” creates a sense of immediacy as the present tragedy unfolds in the shadow of an infamous past. Sagar’s captivating character development is also a testament to his writing style. Each character within “The Unknown” is accessible - many readers might even see themselves in a specific character. We see their emotions and feel the rush of adrenaline they experience during climactic moments. These characters don’t simply feel like words on a page - they have lives, trauma, and backgrounds readers slowly discover. The story of “The Unknown” feels timeless. As the calendar approaches October, this novel is a perfect fall read and will capture the attention of any reader interested in the supernatural. Rating A+ Surely Sagar can do it again.
