Diksha Sundriyal
In Apple TV+’s ‘Disclaimer,’ the life of a celebrated documentarian, Catherine Ravenscroft, is upended when she gets a book in her mail. The book, titled ‘The Perfect Stranger’ by EJ Preston, is sent by an unnamed person, which quickly becomes a mystery Catherine becomes desperate to solve. It turns out that the story in the book is based on something traumatic that happened to Catherine over 20 years ago. It is something that she has tried to keep a secret for a very long time, which is why she becomes desperate to keep the book out of her family’s reach. Even though it becomes such an important part of the story, the novel in question remains entirely fictional.
The Perfect Stranger Serves as a Potent Plot Device
Once we see how strongly and quickly Catherine reacts to ‘The Perfect Stranger,’ we, too, become intrigued with the contents of the novel and want to know what’s written in it. It all eventually unfolds for us over the course of the rest of the season, but those interested in getting the book for themselves will be disappointed because it does not exist in real life. The only way that you can read ‘The Perfect Stranger’ is by reading Renée Knight’s 2015 novel, ‘Disclaimer,’ which serves as the inspiration for the series.
In her debut novel, Knight was fascinated with the idea of exploring the scenario where a person discovers that there is a book written about them and their darkest secret. She’d always associated books with comfort and a good time, and she was intrigued with the idea of a possibility where that comfort and feel-good emotion is wrested away from a person, leaving them entirely vulnerable. The idea itself came to her after she wrote about an incident that happened to her and her friend, and then she started to wonder how her friend would feel about being written into a story that the whole world could become privy to.
Instead of simply using the novel as a plot device in the story, Knight wanted it to be a character in itself that gives the audience more information about Catherine and the incident. Moreover, the novel would also act as a witness who relays the truth (or at least a part of it) of the matter to the audience. The idea of a book within a book also compelled the author because she’d already been experimenting with the narrative of the story, with some of it being in first and second person with varying narrators. The show translates the importance of the book to the screen, heavily piquing the audience’s interest and making them wonder whose side of the story they should trust. Thus, despite being a fictional plot device, the novel relays considerable impact on the characters as well as the audience.
Read More: Where is Apple TV+’s Disclaimer Filmed?
