That’s Not My Name Summary, Characters and Themes
That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally is a young adult thriller that weaves together mystery, suspense, and personal drama. The story follows two teenagers, Mary and Drew, whose lives are upended by traumatic events. Mary wakes up with no memory of who she is, only to be claimed by a man as his daughter.
Drew, meanwhile, is under suspicion in his small town for the disappearance of his girlfriend, Lola. As their narratives unfold, the two teens are drawn toward a surprising and dark climax. Lally’s debut novel delves into themes of identity, trust, and the search for truth.
Summary
The novel begins with Mary, a teenage girl who wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of who she is or what has happened to her. She’s disoriented, injured, and taken to a local police station by a concerned officer.
Soon after, a frantic man arrives, claiming that Mary is his missing daughter, Mary Boone.
He presents her birth certificate, family photos, and school ID to confirm his identity. Mary, still suffering from amnesia, has no choice but to trust him, though she feels uneasy about whether he is telling the truth. The police officer, seeing no reason to doubt the man, releases Mary into his custody.
As she begins to recover snippets of memories, she grapples with whether her memories are real or if this man, supposedly her father, is hiding something sinister. Mary’s journey becomes one of discovering not just who she is but whether she can trust anyone around her.
Parallel to Mary’s story is Drew’s, a boy from a small town who is being accused of causing his girlfriend Lola’s disappearance.
The town, his classmates, and even the police believe Drew is responsible, even though Lola’s body hasn’t been found. Drew’s life falls apart as the town ostracizes him, and only his supportive dads and a few friends stand by him.
Despite the accusations, Drew refuses to give up on finding Lola and begins his own investigation into her disappearance.
He is burdened with guilt, feeling that there’s something crucial he hasn’t shared about the last time he saw Lola, but revealing it might damage his reputation further.
The novel alternates between Mary’s struggle to piece together her identity and Drew’s desperate search for Lola, who everyone else assumes is dead. Drew’s isolation intensifies as the small-town gossip grows louder, and his own doubts about what happened that night cloud his judgment.
Meanwhile, Mary’s growing suspicions about her “father” deepen, especially as she starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks that suggest her life may not be as he claims.
The plot builds as the two storylines gradually intersect, revealing that Mary’s past and Drew’s present are connected in ways neither could have anticipated.
As the tension escalates, the truth about Mary’s real identity and Lola’s disappearance is revealed in a shocking twist.
The carefully laid clues come together, shedding light on how deeply Mary and Drew’s lives have been intertwined by trauma and manipulation.
In the end, the story delivers an emotional, unexpected conclusion, leaving readers questioning how much they truly know about the characters and their motives.
Characters
Mary Boone
Mary, one of the protagonists, is a teen suffering from amnesia, which creates an intense mystery surrounding her identity. When she is found injured on the side of a road, she doesn’t remember who she is or how she got there.
Her experience is disorienting and terrifying, and her vulnerability is heightened when a man claiming to be her father, Wayne, arrives at the police station to take her home. As Mary is thrust into this situation, her confusion deepens.
She starts to get flashes of memories, unsure whether to trust Wayne or the partial recollections she is regaining. Her internal struggle between fear, trust, and suspicion drives much of the novel’s tension.
Throughout the story, Mary’s character is developed through her fear of the unknown. She fights to reclaim her identity and determine whether Wayne is truly who he says he is.
The subtle build-up of her panic and distrust, particularly toward Wayne, propels her arc from helplessness to survival mode. Her journey becomes a fight for autonomy, culminating in her self-realization and the resolution of the mystery surrounding her past.
Wayne (Mary’s Supposed Father)
Wayne is a sinister character whose role is central to the mystery of the novel. He appears at first as a frantic, loving father, producing documents and photographs to prove his identity and claim Mary as his daughter.
However, as the novel progresses, Wayne’s true intentions and the validity of his claim to Mary are called into question. He is manipulative, and the increasing tension in his interactions with Mary suggests darker undertones.
His behavior grows increasingly controlling, and the reader, alongside Mary, begins to doubt his authenticity. The fear he instills in Mary forms the core of the psychological thriller aspect of the novel.
Wayne represents the threat of being trapped by a stranger pretending to be someone trustworthy. This fear becomes a driving force in Mary’s psychological conflict.
Drew
Drew is the second protagonist, whose life has been shattered by the disappearance of his girlfriend, Lola. He is deeply affected by guilt, as he hasn’t been completely honest about the events leading up to Lola’s disappearance.
Drew’s isolation is a central theme in his narrative. He is ostracized by the town, with many people assuming he is responsible for Lola’s vanishing, leading to an overwhelming sense of paranoia and mistrust.
Despite this, Drew is determined to find Lola and prove his innocence. His inner turmoil is a mix of guilt, fear, and a strong desire for redemption.
Throughout the novel, Drew’s story reflects the pain of carrying the burden of suspicion and the emotional toll it takes on him. His perseverance in uncovering what happened to Lola, even as the town turns against him, shows his complexity and determination.
Lola
Though not present directly in most of the narrative, Lola’s character looms large over the story. She is the missing girlfriend and the mystery at the heart of Drew’s life.
Her disappearance acts as the catalyst for the entire plot, driving both Drew’s desperation and the town’s collective suspicion. Little is known about her except through Drew’s recollections and the few details provided by other characters.
Lola represents the missing piece of the puzzle that Drew is frantically trying to solve. Her absence creates a void filled with speculation, mistrust, and guilt on Drew’s part, adding layers to the story’s emotional intensity.
Sheriff Roane
Sheriff Roane is depicted as the typical uncaring, ineffective law enforcement officer found in many thrillers. His treatment of both Drew and Mary shows a lack of empathy and concern.
In Mary’s storyline, he is easily persuaded by Wayne’s documentation, leaving Mary in a precarious and dangerous situation. He fails to investigate deeply, which adds to the growing sense of helplessness felt by the protagonists.
For Drew, Sheriff Roane represents institutional failure. He refuses to believe in Drew’s innocence and is quick to assume that the boyfriend must be the culprit. His dismissive attitude and lack of serious investigation make him an obstacle to Drew’s quest for the truth.
Drew’s Two Dads
Drew’s fathers play a significant role in his emotional support system. Despite the overwhelming suspicion from the town and school, his dads remain steadfast in their belief in his innocence.
They provide the only true refuge for Drew in a world that has turned against him. One of his fathers is Guatemalan, adding some cultural representation to the story.
Their presence highlights a loving, accepting family dynamic, which contrasts sharply with the suspicion and isolation Drew faces outside their home. Their support is crucial in maintaining Drew’s resolve to find Lola, showing that despite the negativity from the town, he still has a source of unconditional love and faith.
Drew’s Friends
Drew’s friends play a secondary role in the plot, yet they are essential in helping him navigate the investigation into Lola’s disappearance. They are somewhat skeptical but still assist Drew in his search for answers.
However, their dynamic lacks depth, and their commitment to helping Drew feels superficial at times. Their contribution to the mystery’s resolution is present, but not particularly significant in terms of character development or emotional investment.
Themes
The Fragility and Reconstruction of Identity in the Face of Trauma
One of the central themes in That’s Not My Name is the fragility of identity, especially when faced with extreme psychological or physical trauma.
Mary’s amnesia is symbolic of a larger existential crisis—she doesn’t know who she is, which not only leaves her vulnerable but opens up a broader discussion about how personal history, memories, and relationships define one’s sense of self.
Her experience represents a critical exploration of how personal history, memories, and relationships define one’s sense of self, and what happens when these are forcibly stripped away. As Mary grapples with fragments of memory, the reader is invited to question the reliability of her self-knowledge and whether identity is inherently stable or fluid, especially under duress.
The novel suggests that identity can be easily reconstructed or manipulated by those around us, particularly when we are most vulnerable. This theme becomes particularly prominent when Mary’s “father,” Wayne, arrives with irrefutable proof of her identity as his daughter, yet Mary’s uncertainty underscores a deeper philosophical question: how much of our identity is tied to what others say we are, rather than what we know ourselves to be?
The Duality of Perception and the Unreliability of Memory
Perception and memory form another key theme in the novel, intricately connected with the theme of identity. Mary’s inability to trust her own memory parallels the reader’s uncertainty about who to trust within the narrative, a clever mirroring that pulls readers deeper into the psychological tension of the story.
Lally deftly plays with the unreliable narrator trope, as Mary’s flashbacks and fragments of recollection seem to offer clues, but also cast doubt on her understanding of reality. The novel further challenges the idea of truth as something singular or fixed. Instead, perception becomes a shifting, malleable entity, influenced by trauma, fear, and outside pressures.
Drew’s storyline runs parallel to Mary’s, but in his case, it is his perception of guilt and his selective truth-telling that heighten the tension. He, like Mary, withholds key pieces of information—whether through amnesia or conscious choice—which raises questions about how much of the truth they are aware of and how much they are willing to confront.
The Societal Impulse to Villainize and the Dangers of Isolation
Another major theme Lally explores is the destructive power of societal judgment and isolation. Drew’s experience in the novel is a reflection of how easily public perception can turn hostile, especially when someone is suspected of wrongdoing.
In small towns like Drew’s, where rumors and speculation easily become fact in the eyes of the public, Drew becomes the subject of intense scrutiny and ostracism. This speaks to the broader societal impulse to villainize individuals without concrete evidence—a critique of both mob mentality and the way assumptions can swiftly erode the presumption of innocence.
Drew’s isolation is both literal, as he is socially abandoned by friends and classmates, and emotional, as he becomes consumed by guilt and suspicion. He is unable to fully share his truth with others. Mary’s isolation, though of a different nature, also contributes to this theme.
As someone who cannot even trust her own memories, she is effectively cut off from her past, her sense of self, and the safety of knowing whom she can rely on. Both characters, in their respective journeys, highlight the emotional and psychological consequences of isolation—whether it stems from societal rejection or a profound internal disconnect caused by trauma.
The Psychological Power Dynamics of Control and Manipulation
A deeply unsettling theme that runs throughout That’s Not My Name is the theme of control and manipulation, particularly in the form of psychological power dynamics. Wayne, the man who claims to be Mary’s father, represents the darker side of control.
He holds all the “evidence” of her past and, thus, the key to her understanding of herself. The novel subtly explores how power can be exerted not just physically but mentally, as Wayne’s presence instills doubt in Mary’s mind, leading her to question her own reality.
This taps into broader fears of being manipulated by those who appear trustworthy but may have sinister motives. Lally uses this tension to raise questions about the nature of trust—what happens when the people you are supposed to rely on become the very ones controlling you?
The theme of manipulation also extends to Drew’s storyline, where guilt and self-blame become tools of psychological control. Drew is manipulated by the weight of societal judgment and his own internalized guilt about the events leading to Lola’s disappearance.
Both Drew and Mary are, in a sense, trapped within psychological prisons—whether it is Wayne’s manipulations or the weight of Drew’s secrets—that force them to question their agency and autonomy.
Memory as a Weapon and the Fight for Truth
Finally, memory itself is portrayed as a kind of weapon, something that can be wielded for control or liberation. For Mary, recovering her memories becomes the key to her survival; without them, she is at the mercy of others’ narratives about who she is.
Memory in this sense becomes a battleground, a place where the fight for truth takes place. Lally portrays memory as fragmented, unreliable, and elusive, but also as something worth fighting for because it holds the power to reveal the truth.
On the other hand, memory is also a tool for manipulation. Wayne’s control over Mary’s history and the “evidence” of her past suggests that memory can be constructed to suit the needs of those in power.
The fight to reclaim memory, and by extension the truth, becomes a central element of the novel, tying back into the broader theme of identity and autonomy.