That's Not My Name

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to murder, violence, kidnapping, child abuse, and police harassment.

Madison, one of the book’s two protagonists, is the 17-year-old who is kidnapped and held hostage by Wayne Boone. He chooses her as a victim because of her physical resemblance to his deceased daughter, Mary. Like Mary, Madison is about 5’5” and has brown hair, green eyes, and freckles. As a result of both physical and emotional trauma, Madison develops amnesia: For much of the story, she cannot remember her actual name and, because she has no one else around to tell her differently, accepts Wayne’s explanation that she is Mary Boone—illustrating the text’s thematic concern with The Dangers of Isolation. Wayne feeds her several lies about what kind of a person she is, describing his idealized version of Mary rather than giving a truthful account of Madison herself. Because of Memory’s Role in Identity, Madison has no way to verify her feeling that something is off about Wayne’s claims.

Throughout the story, there are many clues to Madison’s real personality. For much of the narrative, Madison gives Wayne the benefit of the doubt, and she consistently notices his efforts to make her comfortable, demonstrating her generally positive and trusting attitude toward others and her capacity for gratitude.