Book Club Night Kit

The Unknown

Riley Sager

Cozy night

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.

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.

Reading level: Moderate

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

Discussion

Warm-up

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 & to sip

To eat

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