BOOK REVIEW: Call Me Evie

Every time I pick up a book of one of those authors that I immediately purchase the books of, there’s a little part of me that worries that maybe it wont live up to expectation. I think this may be why it took me so many years to read Call Me Evie. J P Pomare is one of those authors I just mentioned, and for some reason this book has sat untouched on my shelf for YEARS. Of course, I regret neglecting this book and I was always going to. There’s something about Pomare’s writing that always has me hooked, and this book was no different. Call Me Evie is a gripping novel that had me on the edge of my seat for hours. Pomare utilises fragmented time jumps throughout to eventually reveal what I would consider one of the most gob-smacking plot twists I’ve read in recent times. He toys with an unreliable narrator whilst also setting the reader up to be distrustful of any of the characters and this adds to the further mystery of the story.  

Call Me Evie picks up at a point in time where Kate is being held captive by her Uncle Jim in New Zealand, though neither she nor the reader know what happened. He insists he’s keeping her safe and the further we get into her life and her memories she begins to doubt that. What I find most fascinating about this book is that it actually left me with more questions than answers, such is the way of the unreliable narrator. Everything comes to a head in the final pages of the book, but this really does leave more questions than answers. If we’re considering Kate as an unreliable narrator, are we to believe her version of events as she tells them? The more that I came to learn throughout the novel the more I was forced to question her reliability, and I can’t wait to hear if others felt the same! I’m a sucker for an unreliable narrator and could talk about the implications of reading a character that way for days. 

Call Me Evie is a must read for anybody who loves a mystery, thriller or something that allows them to ponder the possibilities long after they’ve finished the book. It’s fast paced and easy to follow whilst also being engrossing and engaging. If you’re in a reading slump or just looking for something to spend a couple of days reading through, then this is definitely the book for you!