From the title of J.P. Pomare’s first novel, Call Me Evie, readers can guess Evie isn’t the real name of the 17-year-old protagonist. But Pomare makes it hard to ascertain exactly what’s going on with her, with her loss of memory and limited view of the world.
She’s involved in something traumatic that happened recently in her hometown of Melbourne, but she can’t remember it. A man she calls her uncle Jim has taken her to New Zealand and mostly locked her up in a house, away from the Internet and neighbors’ prying eyes, in a supposed attempt to help her recall details of the night in question.
He forces her to take pills and says she can’t go back to Australia until she remembers; she needs control of the facts when police question her. The situation gains urgency when the incident back home is labeled a murder, and Evie’s fragmented memories make her question everything Jim says and where the threat is actually coming from.
Pomare grabs readers by the throat the way Jim grabs Evie by the hair in the opening scene, when she tries to escape the house. Everything Jim does he claims is to protect her, and sometimes he seems genuine about that. The author maintains this sense of uncertainty and dread throughout, as Evie–along with the reader–puts together the pieces of her memory. Because she trusts no one, everyone is suspect, including herself. The resolution may not be entirely surprising, but it’s a satisfying one.
This review appeared originally in Shelf Awareness for Readers and is reprinted here with permission. As an Amazon affiliate, PCN might receive a small commission if a purchase is made via the link.
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