That's Not My Name by Megan Lally: Summary and Study Guide

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

For a deeper dive into the ending, see the ending explained page.

You can also test your knowledge with the quiz or explore essay prompts for further analysis.

If you have specific questions, the questions and answers page might have what you're looking for.

Now, let's dive into the world of That's Not My Name by Megan Lally.

This guide is designed to help you understand the plot, characters, themes, and symbols of this young adult thriller.

We'll start with some quick facts, then provide a short summary, a full summary, and detailed breakdowns of the key elements.

Use the table of contents below to jump to any section.

Quick Facts

Short Summary

A teenage girl wakes up in a ditch with no memory of who she is.

A man named Wayne Boone claims to be her father, and she is released into his custody.

As she tries to piece together her past, she begins to notice inconsistencies in his story.

Meanwhile, Drew, a local teen, is grieving the disappearance of his girlfriend Lola.

He and his friends investigate on their own when the police dismiss key evidence.

The two storylines converge when Drew discovers the girl in Wayne's basement, chained and forced to believe she is Mary Boone.

The girl, whose real name is Madison, remembers her true identity and, with Drew's help, fights for her freedom.

The novel explores themes of identity, manipulation, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Full Summary

That's Not My Name alternates between two perspectives: the girl who calls herself Mary (later revealed as Madison) and Drew, a high school student investigating the disappearance of his girlfriend, Lola.

The novel opens with Mary waking up in a ditch, bloodied and disoriented, with no memory of her name or how she got there.

She is found by a police officer and taken to the Alton police station.

There, Officer Bowman questions her, but she can't remember anything.

A man named Wayne Boone arrives, claiming she is his missing daughter, Mary.

He shows photos and a school ID, and despite her lack of recognition, she is released into his custody.

Wayne takes her to a remote cabin in the mountains, where he tells her she had a car accident and that her mother died years ago.

He provides a birth certificate and Social Security card, and she begins to accept her new identity.

However, she experiences strange allergic reactions to eggs, which Wayne attributes to strawberries, and she notices that the clothes he buys her are too small.

She also has fragmented memories of a woman with dark hair, which don't match the blonde woman in Wayne's wedding photo.

Meanwhile, Drew is dealing with the aftermath of Lola's disappearance.

He is ostracized by the community, and Sheriff Roane suspects him of being involved.

Drew, along with his cousin Max and Autumn (the sheriff's daughter), begins their own investigation.

They discover a tip-line recording from a woman who saw Lola at a diner in Waybrooke with a man in a gray van.

They drive to Waybrooke and interview the witness, Meredith Hoyt, and the diner waitress, Sandra.

They also visit a thrift store called Nana's Favorites, where the owner, Eloise, confirms Lola was there with an older man.

They obtain security footage showing Lola and the man, and they learn that Lola changed into new clothes before leaving.

Back at the cabin, Mary's suspicions grow.

She finds a missing-person flier for a neighbor, Ben Hooper, who disappeared after speaking with Wayne.

She also realizes that Wayne lied about Officer Bowman's visit.

When Wayne decides to leave the cabin, Mary discovers Ben Hooper's corpse in a shallow grave.

She attacks Wayne with a rock and flees, but he catches her and chokes her unconscious.

She wakes up in the basement, chained by the ankle.

Wayne insists she is Mary and berates her for her past behavior.

She sees names scratched into the wall—Alison, Krissy, Courtney, Arely, Bekah, Carly, Sheena, Ashley, and Lola—and realizes she is not the first victim.

Drew, having learned from Autumn that the Boones live next door to the Hoopers, drives to the cabin.

He sees Wayne carrying a girl who looks like Lola, but when he enters the basement, he realizes she is not Lola.

The girl, Madison, tells him that Lola is dead.

Wayne returns and attacks Drew.

Madison fights back, and in the struggle, she kicks Wayne down the basement stairs, killing him.

The police arrive, and Madison is rescued.

The epilogue, set four months later, shows Drew at the boat launch on Lola's birthday.

Madison visits him and tells him that Wayne had been searching for her the day after Lola disappeared, meaning Lola died almost immediately.

She helps him light a candle for Lola.

Drew reflects on the town's shifting opinion of him, from suspect to hero, and his own guilt.

He and Madison share a moment of understanding, and later, Autumn and Max join him to remember Lola.

The novel ends with Drew beginning to heal, though he still struggles with survivor's guilt.

Main Characters

• Madison – A teenage girl who wakes up with amnesia and is forced to believe she is Mary Boone.

She eventually recovers her true identity and escapes her kidnapper.

• Drew – Lola's boyfriend who investigates her disappearance, discovers the truth about Wayne, and helps rescue Madison from the basement.

• Wayne Boone – A delusional kidnapper who abducts girls resembling his dead daughter Mary, holding them captive in his cabin basement.

• Lola Scott – Drew's girlfriend who was abducted and killed by Wayne.

Her disappearance drives the investigation.

• Autumn – The sheriff's daughter who helps Drew and Max investigate Lola's case, using her access to her father's office.

• Max – Drew's cousin who assists in the investigation, including breaking into the police station and gathering evidence.

Themes

• Identity and Self-Reclamation – The novel explores how a person's sense of self can be overwritten by another who imposes a false identity, and the struggle to recover one's true name and history.

• Gaslighting and Psychological Control – The story depicts how a captor uses lies, medical manipulation, and isolation to make a victim doubt her own memories and perceptions, eroding her trust in reality.

• Grief and Survivor's Guilt – The narrative examines how a young person's grief over a lost friend is compounded by guilt and self-blame, and how community suspicion affects the mourning process.

• Memory and Trauma – The book portrays memory as fragmented and unreliable under trauma, with flashbacks and dreams gradually revealing the truth of a traumatic past.

• Mistrust of Authority and Vigilante Justice – The story critiques institutional failures and shows how amateur investigators take matters into their own hands when law enforcement dismisses crucial evidence.

Symbols

• Jean Jacket – The floral-sleeved jean jacket worn by Lola and later by Madison becomes a symbol of mistaken identity and the lingering presence of the missing girl.

• Boat Launch – The river boat launch where Drew and Lola used to park serves as a recurring site of memory, grief, and the search for truth.

• Basement Names – The names scratched into the basement wall—including Lola's—serve as a chilling record of Wayne's previous victims and a symbol of captivity.

• Gray Van – The gray van used by Wayne to abduct and transport girls is a recurring symbol of danger and the hidden threat beneath normal appearances.

Ending Overview

The novel concludes with Wayne's death and Madison's rescue.

In the epilogue, Drew and Madison meet at the boat launch on Lola's birthday.

Madison reveals that Wayne had been looking for her the day after Lola disappeared, meaning Lola died almost immediately after her abduction.

This helps Drew understand that he couldn't have saved her.

The town's anger has shifted from Drew to Sheriff Roane, who resigned and is now consulting on a true crime docuseries.

Drew still struggles with guilt but begins to find closure with the support of his friends.

For a more detailed analysis, see the ending explained page.

Chapter-by-Chapter Summary

Common Questions

1. Who is the girl in the basement?

The girl is Madison, a seventeen-year-old softball star who was kidnapped by Wayne Boone.

He forced her to believe she was his daughter Mary, but she eventually recovers her true identity.

2. What happens to Wayne Boone?

Wayne is killed when Madison kicks him down the basement stairs during a fight.

His death is ruled as a result of the struggle.

3. How does Drew find Madison?

Drew learns from Autumn that the Boones live next door to the Hoopers.

He drives to the cabin and sees Wayne carrying a girl who looks like Lola.

He enters the basement and finds Madison chained there.

4. Is Lola alive?

No, Lola is dead.

Madison tells Drew that Lola is dead, and later it's implied