Drew in That's Not My Name: Character Analysis of the Boyfriend Who Uncovers the Truth

Overview: The Boyfriend Who Refused to Stop Looking

In Megan Lally's That's Not My Name, Drew Carter-Diaz begins as the town's prime suspect in his girlfriend Lola Scott's disappearance and ends as the person who walks into a serial killer's basement. His arc is driven by a refusal to accept the official narrative—first the sheriff's suspicion of him, then the possibility that Lola is dead. Drew's investigation is messy, illegal, and emotionally raw, but it is also the only thread that leads to Madison's rescue. This analysis traces Drew's role in the plot, his motivations, his relationships, and the themes his journey illuminates.

Plot Role: From Suspect to Investigator to Rescuer

Drew's narrative function shifts across three distinct phases.

Phase One: The Suspect (Chapters 3–8)

Drew's early chapters establish him as a figure of public suspicion. He copies missing-person fliers at the library, crashes a search party at the river, and wanders into Lola's neighborhood, where her father confronts him. His locker is vandalized with the word