Call My Name by Jenni Ogden

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.ePUB, 387 pages
Expected Publication: 15 Sep 2022
By: Sea Dragon Press

About The Book:
Her mother dead from a drug overdose, thirteen-year-old Olivia is rescued by Cathie Tulloch, her mother’s friend throughout the years they were held captive in Japanese prison camps in Sumatra in WWII. Welcomed into the Tulloch’s remote family home in the Australian tropics, introverted Olivia is claimed by dramatic, generous, controlling Cassandra Tulloch as her sister and best friend. Moving to the UK at 18, Olivia finds her independence — and partner Ben. But in 1970, after five years away, she is homesick, and ready to fulfill her long-held dream: to make a family of her own. In Brisbane she and Ben share a hippie lifestyle with Cassandra and husband, Sebastian. But while earth-mother Cassandra effortlessly produces beautiful babies, for Olivia, becoming a mother is hard. Even harder is discovering the truth about her own mother. And when the unimaginable happens, destroying the friendship with Cassandra that has been her bedrock for so long, Olivia tells herself that she doesn’t deserve a family, nor a place to call home.

My Review:

A couple of summers ago I read and loved The Moon is Missing by Jenni Ogden so when I saw she had another book on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. This book was heartbreaking and joyful in equal measure, much like real life. It begs the question, what does it mean to be a mother? But it also asks what makes a family? The story asks many pertinent and timely questions about abortion, adoption/surrogacy, and mental health. There was a lot to take on in this book as it spans thirty years or more but as usual Jenni Ogden's writing is emotive and she tells this story beautifully. 

As long as this story was I was swept away in its telling and managed to read it in a couple of sittings. I loved the location of Australia and felt like I had visited there. The descriptions of the beaches, the sand, and the flora & fauna were absolutely lovely. I loved being on Olivia's journey to find a family and a place to call home. This was such a joy to read for many reasons but what I liked most was the fact that it is simply a story about life and love including all the good, the bad, and messy in-between.

Disclosure:
Many thanks to NetGalley, Jenni Ogden, and Sea Dragon Press for the giving of the ARC.

#CallMyName #NetGalley

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