My Name is Anna

Our Review

My Name is Anna was one of those books you can lose yourself in. I had to read it at night when my baby had gone to sleep because I wasn’t sure I would notice anything going on around me it was that good.

My Name is Anna is a split narrative novel which alternates between Anna and Rosie. In some books this would be distracting and mean the reader can’t relate to either character but in this it worked very well.

Anna's religious mother instilled in her that being virtuous is the path to God. But on her eighteenth birthday she lies to her and chooses to visit Florida's largest theme park with her boyfriend.

Anna has never been permitted to visit Astroland before – so why does everything seem so familiar?

Rosie's family has been consumed by the search for the missing sister she barely remembers. Now time and money are running out until on the fifteenth anniversary of her sister's disappearance Rosie decides to start her own search for the truth.

It is clear from the beginning that Anna’s living situation is one where she needs to walk on eggshells.

“I raise my fingers through the cooling bathwater and check my nails, looking for invisible fragments of dust I always fail to spot but Mamma hones in on with such definite aim.”

Anna and her mother are obsessive in their need for cleanliness both physically and in their home. Anna knows that if she doesn’t adhere to the rules then her mother has a much darker side to her.

She is normally a good girl, sticking to the rules, but on her eighteenth birthday she decides to lie to her mother for the first time.

She feels anxious all morning when she wakes up after a dream that felt to weird, a dream where people were calling out to her, but they weren’t calling her name.

Anna’s mum is a difficult character to like.

“She turns to me, gives me her best attempt at a smile- the one she saves for the really good days.”

Rosie’s mother on the other hand is instantly likeable. It is obvious to the reader from the beginning that she is overprotective but is equally obvious that there is a reason why. The disappearance of her daughter has obviously had a massive effect on her.

For Rosie, the overprotectiveness has worn a bit thin:

‘When has she ever not ended a farewell like that? Be Safe.’

Rosie never knows if people want her for her or for her sister. She lives in the shadow of a sister she barely remembers despite her mother’s best efforts to keep her alive in their memories. She feels defined by her.

“She can do no wrong, while I am always trying to play catch-up.”

The author was very good at portraying the situation for all of the characters – particularly Rosie and the rest of her family.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. A memorable book.

Our Final Rating...

Fri, 9th November 2018