Title: Call Me Evie
Author: J.P. Pomare
Publisher: Sphere
[Synopsis]
For the past two weeks, seventeen-year-old Kate Bennet has lived against her will in an isolated cabin in a remote beach town–brought there by a mysterious man named Bill. Part captor, part benefactor, Bill calls her Evie and tells her he’s hiding her to protect her. That she did something terrible one night back home in Melbourne–something so unspeakable that he had no choice but to take her away. The trouble is, Kate can’t remember the night in question.
The fragments of Kate’s shattered memories of her old life seem happy: good friends, a big house in the suburbs, a devoted boyfriend. Bill says he’ll help her fill in the blanks–but his story isn’t adding up. And as she tries to reconcile the girl she thought she’d been with the devastating consequences Bill claims she’s responsible for, Kate will unearth secrets about herself and those closest to her that could change everything.
A riveting debut novel that fearlessly plumbs the darkest recesses of the mind, Call Me Evie explores the fragility of memory and the potential in all of us to hide the truth, even from ourselves.
[My Review]
Call Me Evie is a novel full of surprises, secrets and a real sense of suffocation. Evie is being held captive in New Zealand by someone she calls her ‘uncle’, far away from her home in Australia. Slowly we start to piece together what may have happened – and J.P. Pomare does a great job of drip-feeding us details and hints. However, there’s still some surprises towards the end, even if you’ve kind of figured out a main part of the story along the way, and this counteracts some of the slightly slower-moving parts of the story
We’re not sure who Evie can trust – her ‘uncle’? The family she befriends? Herself? This really adds a sense of paranoia and confusion to the story which I really liked. I was rooting for Evie, and I felt myself becoming so tense during certain chapters (doesn’t sound fun to take on Evie’s tension, but it shows the power of the writing – and it only adds to the addictive nature of the story!)
This story is packed full of suspense, with interesting characters and enough drama to keep you wanting to turn the pages without being over the top or unbelievable. I really enjoyed this taut, gripping novel and would really recommend it.
[Rating: 4.5/5]
Many thanks to Little Brown UK for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.