Readers Guide for The Unknown by Riley Sager

The present: New Avalon

Marin reads Daisy’s diary. Daisy, who was on the island for ten days, believed that the women’s séance summoned a malevolent spirit. Marin realizes that Daisy’s diary is unfinished, but that Ronan wrote an ending.

Daisy’s Diary: June 8, 1926

Most of the women have paranormal abilities: Mrs. Semple is a medium, Katrina sees visions, Mrs. Minifer is an empathetic, Daisy can communicate with the dead.

The present: New Avalon

Violet comes to Marin’s cabin. Marin learns that Violet and Loretta are sisters.

Daisy’s Diary: June 9, 1926

At the séance, a spirit named Azra emerges. Azra, who says she is locked in hell, tells Daisy that she will be the last. Then the big tree is struck by lightning.

The present: New Avalon

In the present-day séance, a picture frame falls. The group learns that the spirit they have summoned is Azra. She says the woman before them are dead and tells them to leave the island. The spirit knows the names of their dead relatives: Heather’s cousin Clarence, Julianne’s husband Dean, Violet’s father Frank, Ronan’s friend Elise, and Daisy’s sister Molly.

Brad suddenly doubles over in pain. They are worried he has appendicitis, so Loretta volunteers to take him to the mainland in the boat. As the boat leaves, the group realizes Brad has all their phones.

Daisy’s Diary: June 10, 1926

Daisy discovers that someone wrote in her diary “I am out.” They learn that their boat is missing.

Later, Daisy learns that Mrs. Semple also kept a journal, in which she worries Daisy is “too powerful.” Katrina accuses Daisy of setting the boat adrift to trap them. Mrs. Semple says Azra did it all.

Present day: New Avalon

Marin hears scratching and thumping in the night. Everyone is upset about losing the phones and the boat. Julianne wonders if Azra got rid of Brad.

Marin looks for ways the séance could have been faked. She finds letters on the spirit board that spell “you are last.” Susie hears a voice that says “you will be first.”

The cast rehearses. Marin asks Ronan about Elise, and he says she was an actress who died two years ago. Marin cuts her leg and Ronan insists on carrying her to her cottage.

They all cook dinner. Marin, who is crushing on Ronan, is upset to see him go to Susie’s cottage. Late that night she sees Molly on her porch, dripping wet.

Daisy’s Diary: June ? 2026

Daisy has a nightmare about a figure in a black cloak, whom she follows into the clearing. The figure pulls a knife out and raises it over Katrina, who is on the rock slab.

The present: New Avalon

Marin spots clothing on the big tree. She rushes to Susie’s cottage, which is empty. Daisy tells the others that Ronan was in Susie’s cottage the night before. They reach the clearing in the woods and there’s a video camera on it.

The camera footage shows Susie in a nightgown. Ronan shows up. She makes a pass at him and he rejects her. Then there’s footage of Susie, lost in the woods. When she gets to the clearing, someone comes at her and she drops the camera.

Daisy’s Diary: June 11, 1926

Katrina is missing and the clearing is empty. They find a coffin filled with liquor, and Mrs. Semple says that a local bootlegger stores inventory on the island.

Present: New Avalon

They discuss swimming the two miles to the mainland but none of the women can do it.

Marin wonders if Pete the boatman is involved in Susie’s disappearance, since his grandfather was the bootlegger (or worked with him?) Or that his grandfather killed the women in 1926? Or maybe it was Lindy, the actress she replaced? Ronan shows her Lindy’s picture and Marin recognizes her from the dock on the mainland.

Ronan said that Lindy was unstable. Violet claims she got Lindy fired. Marin sees Molly again, and also sees someone in Susie’s cottage. It’s Heather, who wants to use Susie’s flashlight to signal for help. As she’s doing this, Heather vanishes and her dress ends up on the tree.

Daisy’s Diary: June 12 and 13 1926

Daisy has come to hate the island. Someone writes “Go away Daisy” in her diary.

Jonquil is missing. Daisy had another nightmare about the woods. She saw Azra murder Jonquil.

June 13

Katrina disappears too.

June 14

Phoebe vanishes.

Present: New Avalon

Marin tells the others what happened to Heather. She reveals that her audition ghost story was true. She saw Molly’s ghost when she was a child. Molly died when she was eleven and Marin was four. Molly went swimming in the family’s pool and drowned. Molly wanted Marin to come outside with her, but Marin didn’t, and still feels guilty.

Julianne thinks she sees Dean and runs outside. She disappears and her dress is in the tree.

Marin decides to look for clues in Daisy’s diary. Violet says they need another séance.

Ronan makes a pass at Marin but she turns him down. Marin goes to talk to Violet and in her room sees books on hexology, witchcraft and demonology, plus a cell phone.

Daisy’s Diary: June 15 1926

There’s a storm on the island. Daisy doesn’t want to do a séance, but Mrs. Semple says that Azra has something important to say. But Daisy realizes that Mrs. Semple is faking everything.

Present Day: New Avalon

Violet shows up and says the phone doesn’t work. Marin asks Violet if she made Brad sick by giving him unfiltered lake water. Violet says “no comment.”

Marin goes back to her cottage, wondering is she should warn Ronan. Molly appears again, but it’s Susie. heather and Julianne also show up.

All of it was fake!!!

• Brad pretended to be sick.
• Susie staged the video.
• Heather hid inside a sleeping bag after pretending to signal with the flashlight.
• Loretta and Brad have been using the bootlegger’s secret cove to come and go.
• The séance was faked.

Why did they do it? It’s a Murder on the Orient Express plot!

They were all friends with Elise. Ronan used and discarded her. She got fired from his film. He filmed them having sex and shared the tape. She took her own life.

The group wants Ronan to confess and a séance is their last chance.

Marin is upset, feeling used and tricked. In her cottage, she angrily kicks the baseboard and it comes off. She finds missing pages from Daisy’s diary!

Daisy’s Diary June 16 1926

Daisy killed Mrs. Semple. She killed all the women!

Present Day: New Avalon

Marin shows the diary to Ronan and Violet. Ronan agrees to the séance.

Violet’s plan is to pretend to contact Molly and then Elise. The spirit board spells D-A-I-S-Y. Violet faints and then pretends to be Daisy.

Marin can’t tell if Violet is faking or not, so she tells Ronan that all of it is a prank to revenge Elise Haines.

Ronan confesses to taping multiple women. He’s sorry. But he refuses to fully confess. Violet grabs an ice pick and threatens Ronan, who finally confesses.

Violet stabs Ronan in the stomach. He’s dead, and Violet screams.

Violet seems confused and distraught, not remembering what happened. She claims she was Daisy when she did it.

Violet and Marin carry Ronan’s body outside and throw it over a cliff to the rocks below.

Back in her cabin, Marin hears thumping again. She finds a loose floorboard which she pulls up, and then pulls up the others around it. Inside is a skeleton.

It’s Ruth Semple and her diary!

Ruth Semple’s Diary: June 6 1926

She’s found a young woman who killed her father in self-defense. She and Daisy were the only two on the island, but Daisy has “imaginary friends” called Jonquil, Katrina and Mrs. Minifer.

Present: New Avalon

Marin realizes that Daisy was Azra. Azra had dissociative identity disorder, and Daisy and the women were her alt personalities. After Azra killed her father, Daisy took over.

Mrs. Semple did a seance to bring Azra out, but Daisy felt threatened and unstable. She refused to be sidelined, and killed Mrs. Semple to prevent it.

Then Daisy seemed to say she was going to “head for the light,” and let Azra take over.

Marin realizes that if Daisy didn’t exist, Violet couldn’t have been possessed by her spirit. Violet was faking.

Violet admits she always meant to kill Ronan. Elise was a child she’d given up for adoption.

Marin says she has proof that Violet was faking: Mrs. Semple’s diary. Violet grabs it and flings it in the lake.

But Marin also has the memory card from Susie’s camcorder. She blackmails Violet.

Four Years Later

Marin has become a star, assisted by Violet.

They all remained quiet (including Lindy, who got a payoff).

Marin tracked down Azra, who married the bootlegger (was she related to Pete???)

Q & A for The Unknown