After starting as a TV drama on Apple TV+, fans are clamoring for spoiler-filled information about the Disclaimer book.
Based on the novel of the same name by Renée Knight, the new streaming series is directed by Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuarón.
It follows Catherine Ravenscroft, played by Cate Blanchett (who also stars in the new Rumours movie), a documentary filmmaker who, after moving into a new house, discovers a controversial novel that she swears she is the main character of.
The Disclaimer book was initially released in 2015, earning rave reviews for its thrilling plot.
Disclaimer Book Plot Explained
Fans have been enjoying being introduced to the world of Disclaimer in its new Apple TV+ series, but those who have read the book know there are some big moments and eye-popping spoilers in the works.
Meet the Ravenscroft Family
Disclaimer by Renée Knight spotlights a female documentarian named Catherine Ravenscroft (played by Cate Blanchett in the Apple TV+ series), her family, and some drama that goes back over two decades and almost tears them apart.
The novel starts with Catherine, her lawyer husband Robert, and her adult son Nicholas moving into a new house.
Soon after arriving in their new home, Catherine discovers a mysterious book titled The Perfect Stranger. Upon reading, Catherine begins to think that this story sounds eerily like an experience she had as a young woman 20 years prior.
That is when Disclaimer jumps over to focus on Stephen Brigstocke, the pseudo-antagonist of the novel. Stephen is a retired, disgraced teacher who lost his wife, Nancy, and son, Jonathan, several years before Disclaimer's story begins.
The book picks up with Stephen clearing out his wife's things, and he finds an envelope containing lewd pictures of Catherine Ravenscroft, the protagonist of this story.
As it turns out, before Stephen's son died, he was having an affair with Catherine while vacationing in Spain. During this trip abroad on the beach, Catherine's young son wandered into the water and was at risk of drowning. That was until Jonathan went rushing in to save Catherine's boy but drowned in the process.
A Rewritten Revenge Story
In the present timeline, Stephen discovers a manuscript written by his late wife about the incident, which he takes it upon himself to publish. However, he does this with a few key changes to the events, making Catherine's in-book proxy the big bad of the story as Stephen blames her for Jonathan's death.
While Catherine keeps the book a secret from her family, Stephen has other plans. He delivers a copy to Robert's office for him to read.
This forces Catherine to come clean to her family, revealing to Robert that the book is about her. This turns Robert against Catherine, as he takes the story at face value and sees it as an admission of infidelity (given the whole in-story affair situation).
He kicks Catherine out of the house because of this, not willing to hear anything she has to say about any potential alterations made to the story.
Stephen then takes this battle online, making a fake Facebook profile for his son Jonathan and befriending Nicholas through it. As the pair get to know each other, Stephen, posing as Jonathan, reveals Catherine had an affair 20 years earlier.
This sends Nicholas into a spiral, causing the young man to overdose on illicit drugs and send him to the hospital, where he remains for the remainder of the story in a coma.
Catherine & Stephen Come Clean
After weeks of trying to confront Stephen, Catherine finally speaks with the wannabe author, telling him his book contains many inaccuracies.
There was, in fact, no affair. What happened was, all those years ago, Jonathan raped Catherine in Spain after days of stalking the vacationing filmmaker.
The day after this traumatic experience (aka the day of Jonathan's death), Catherine was so shaken she did not notice when young Nicholas ran into the ocean, prompting Jonathan to chase after and save him and drown in the process.
While it takes some time, Stephen believes what Catherine tells him is true. This causes Stephen to come clean to Robert, revealing there was no affair and his wife never cheated on him.
Catherine is welcomed back into her home but is a little distraught about everything that has just happened. While her husband loves her again, she is unsure if she wants to be with someone so relieved to find out she was raped rather than committed adultery.
Disclaimer ends with Catherine rekindling her relationship with Nicholas as he recovers in the hospital. At the same time, Stephen seemingly takes his own life and leaves Catherine and her family his house in his will.
The last readers see of the Ravenscroft family is them setting up shop in Stephen's former home while Catherine questions her marriage.
Disclaimer continues on Apple TV+ with new episodes released every Thursday.
