That’s Not My Name Summary: A Fractured Identity, A Race Against Time
What This Article Covers
This article breaks down That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally from a factual, spoiler-aware perspective.
It explains the novel’s dual timelines, core mystery, characters, and ending without adding literary criticism.
The book sits within young adult psychological thriller territory, moving between a missing-person investigation and a girl’s fight to recover her own identity.
Readers looking for a clear, neutral account of what happens in the story will find the full plot, grouped chapter breakdowns, and quick-reference details below.
The full story section contains spoilers.
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TL;DR: The Book at a Glance
In That’s Not My Name, a teenage girl wakes up in an Oregon ditch with amnesia and is claimed by a man who says she is his daughter, Mary.
In another town, Drew searches for his missing girlfriend Lola while police and locals treat him as a suspect.
The two storylines follow the girl’s growing suspicion inside a remote cabin and Drew’s tip-driven search along the coast. The novel moves between psychological manipulation, a flawed police investigation, and two teenagers trying to reach the truth.
That’s Not My Name Summary: The Full Spoiler Story
Spoilers below. This section reveals the ending.
Read the Full Chapter-by-Chapter Summary of That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally
A teenage girl wakes in a ditch beside a dirt road in Alton, Oregon.
She is injured, covered in blood, and unable to remember her name. Officer Bowman brings her to the local precinct, where she refuses hospital care.
A man named Wayne Boone arrives and claims she is his seventeen-year-old daughter, Mary Boone. He shows documents and photos, so the girl is released into his custody. Wayne takes her to a remote log cabin on Ridge Road.
Meanwhile in Washington City, Drew Carter-Diaz is under suspicion for the disappearance of his girlfriend, Lola Scott. Sheriff Roane treats Drew as the prime suspect despite no proof. Drew keeps searching and posts missing-person fliers.
At the cabin, Wayne tells the girl she is recovering from a car accident and a concussion. He controls her diet and medication, claiming allergies to eggs and later strawberries.
These reactions keep her in a Benadryl haze, but she begins having flashbacks that contradict his stories.
Drew, his cousin Max, and Lola’s friend Autumn break into the police station to access tip-line recordings. They find a tip from Waybrooke about a girl in a floral-sleeved jean jacket, a jacket Autumn made for Lola. Drew drives to the coast and follows witness accounts toward Alton.
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The girl sees a missing-person flier for neighbor Ben Hooper.
She later finds Ben’s mutilated body in a shallow grave near the woodpile.
She realizes Wayne is a serial killer who murdered the real Mary Boone and has been abducting lookalike girls. Her real name is Madison Perkins.
Wayne discovers that Madison knows the truth and chases her through the woods. He captures her and chains her in the basement, where she sees the names of previous victims scratched into the walls. Lola’s name is among them.
Drew arrives at the cabin while Wayne is moving Madison into the basement. He fights Wayne, and Madison frees herself enough to help. During the struggle, Madison kicks Wayne down the basement stairs, breaking his neck.
Afterward, news reports identify Wayne Boone as the “Daddy Dearest Killer.” The remains of nine teenage girls are recovered from the property. Four months later, Madison visits Drew on Lola’s birthday, and Drew is no longer viewed as a suspect.
Related summary: The Girl in the Lake Summary | Lauren Oliver
Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Madison Perkins | A teenage athlete from Bellevue, Washington, who is kidnapped by Wayne and suffers from amnesia; she kills Wayne to survive. |
| Drew Carter-Diaz | Lola’s boyfriend who searches for her and follows clues to Alton, where he saves Madison. |
| Wayne Boone | A serial killer who abducts girls to replace his deceased daughter, Mary. |
| Lola Scott | Drew’s missing girlfriend and one of Wayne’s victims; her jacket becomes a key clue. |
| Autumn Roane | The sheriff’s daughter and Lola’s best friend who helps Drew with technical skills and local knowledge. |
| Max | Drew’s cousin who provides emotional support and transportation during the search. |
| Officer Bowman | A patrolman in Alton who is manipulated by Wayne’s forged documents. |
| Sheriff Roane | Autumn’s father and lead investigator whose bias against Drew slows the case. |
| Ben Hooper | A neighbor in Alton who is murdered by Wayne after saying “Mary” looks familiar. |
If You Liked That’s Not My Name
- The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry — A teen deals with missing memories and past trauma while uncovering the truth about a crime.
- Sadie by Courtney Summers — A gritty YA story about a boy searching for a missing girl and the dark secrets uncovered along the way.
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson — A teenager runs her own investigation into a local disappearance after police fail to find the truth.
- Girl, Stolen by April Henry — A kidnapped girl must use her wits to escape her captor in a tense survival plot.
- The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas — A dark mystery about a teen uncovering secrets behind a string of deaths in her town
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens at the end of That’s Not My Name?
At the end, Madison and Drew fight Wayne Boone in the cabin basement, and Madison kicks him down the stairs, killing him. Drew is later cleared of suspicion, and Madison visits him on Lola’s birthday to thank him for saving her.
Who is Wayne Boone in That’s Not My Name?
Wayne Boone is a serial killer who abducts teenage girls who resemble his deceased daughter, Mary. He poses as the missing girl’s father and kills the girls when they fail to match his version of Mary or try to escape.
Is Lola alive at the end of That’s Not My Name?
No, Lola is one of Wayne Boone’s victims. Her name is found scratched in the basement wall, and her remains are among the nine recovered from the property.
What is Madison’s real name in That’s Not My Name?
Madison’s real name is Madison Perkins. She is not Mary Boone; Wayne abducted her after killing the real Mary and tried to make Madison replace her.
Does Drew find Lola in That’s Not My Name?
Drew follows clues to Alton and reaches Wayne’s cabin, but he finds Madison, not Lola, alive. Lola is already dead, and Drew is only able to save Madison.
