What are good book club discussion questions for The Unknown?

Spoiler-free questions to get the conversation going: Settle in with your warmest drink: what part of this book felt best to read on a quiet, cozy evening, and where were you when it pulled you in?; If you could spend one calm afternoon on that remote Vermont island before any trouble started, what would you want to do there?; The story leans on the comfort and fear of being cut off from the world. When has being somewhere remote felt cozy to you, and when has it felt lonely?; Mediums promise a bridge to people we have lost. Setting the scares aside, which moment in the book stirred something tender or personal in you about grief or remembrance?; Old islands and old houses hold a century of memory here. Is there a place from your own life that feels haunted by good memories, and how does returning to it feel?.

What food and drinks should I serve at a The Unknown book club?

Food: Vermont maple and sea salt shortbread, Slow-simmered New England clam chowder in mugs, Baked apple crumble with vanilla cream, and . Drinks: Mulled cider with cinnamon and star anise, Chamomile and honey tea, and Hot buttered rum.

Cozy night

The UnknownBook club questions, food & host guide

Riley Sager

A cozy book club night for The Unknown by Riley Sager. Includes 8 spoiler-free discussion questions, food and drink pairings, a playlist, and a host guide, ready to print and share.

a club that loves a shivery mystery softened by blankets, candles, and good company

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A moody, atmospheric mystery set on a fog-wrapped Vermont island where a film crew reopens a century-old vanishing, perfect for a snug night in with the curtains drawn.

Why it works for clubs

Riley Sager delivers slow-burn suspense that begs to be unpacked together
The isolated island setting sparks talk about the places that unsettle or comfort us
Themes of belief, grief, and things left unexplained invite gentle, personal sharing
Short chapters and a hook-y premise make it an easy, page-turning read for everyone

Themes & mood

atmospheric spooky-cozy New England gothic slow-burn mystery the unexplained

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Reading level

Moderate

Warm-up questions

1 Settle in with your warmest drink: what part of this book felt best to read on a quiet, cozy evening, and where were you when it pulled you in?
2 If you could spend one calm afternoon on that remote Vermont island before any trouble started, what would you want to do there?

Digging in

1 The story leans on the comfort and fear of being cut off from the world. When has being somewhere remote felt cozy to you, and when has it felt lonely?
2 Mediums promise a bridge to people we have lost. Setting the scares aside, which moment in the book stirred something tender or personal in you about grief or remembrance?
3 Old islands and old houses hold a century of memory here. Is there a place from your own life that feels haunted by good memories, and how does returning to it feel?
4 This is spooky in a curl-up-under-a-blanket way rather than a nightmare way. What did Sager do that let you feel safely scared instead of truly disturbed?

Going deep

1 Without giving anything away, how did your feelings toward the island shift from the opening pages to the closing ones, and what emotion stayed with you after you set the book down?
2 The book sits with the question of whether some things are meant to stay unknown. After finishing, did that idea comfort you or unsettle you, and why do you think it landed that way?

On the table

Vermont maple and sea salt shortbread

A nod to the Vermont setting, buttery and sweet for passing around a candlelit table

Slow-simmered New England clam chowder in mugs

Warm island coastal comfort you can cradle in your hands while you talk

Baked apple crumble with vanilla cream

Homey, orchard-cozy, and a little indulgent for a chilly, misty-night mood

To sip

Mulled cider with cinnamon and star anise No alcohol

Steamy, spiced, and quintessentially New England autumn, warming against the island fog

Chamomile and honey tea No alcohol

A calming, gentle pour for a low-pressure gathering and any nerves the mystery stirs up

Hot buttered rum

A rich, grown-up nightcap that feels like a fire crackling on a fogbound evening

hushed, candlelit folk and ambient warmth with a faint gothic shiver underneath

Tap a track to play it. Full songs play when you're signed into Spotify.

You're invited

Come In From the Fog

Bring your softest sweater and join us for a warm, low-key night with Riley Sager's The Unknown. Chowder, cider, and gentle mystery await.

Trivia

1

Who is the author of The Unknown?

Answer: Riley Sager
2

Riley Sager is best known for writing in which genre?

Answer: Thriller and suspense
3

In which New England state is the island setting located?

Answer: Vermont
4

Riley Sager is a pen name; is the author male or female?

Answer: Male (Todd Ritter)
5

What kind of spiritual figures are central to the book's backstory?

Answer: Spiritual mediums
6

What brings the characters to the remote island in the story?

Answer: A research trip for a film
7

Name another well-known Riley Sager novel.

Answer: Examples include Final Girls, The Last Time I Lied, Home Before Dark, or Lock Every Door
8

Roughly how long ago did the mediums disappear, according to the premise?

Answer: About a century (one hundred years)