Content Rating: PG-13 + M:
Has childbirth/abortion/adoption/surrogacy themes, the brief description
of a rape in the past by a Japanese guard of a prisoner in a POW camp in
Sumatra in WWII (not explicit but of course disturbing and violent). A
mention of cannabis smoking when characters are young, mild in-context use
of f-word and other expletives.
Praise from Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife & When the Stars Go Dark:
"An emotionally piercing and absorbing account of
turbulent female friendship over time, Call My Name is
also a keen meditation on the powerful pull of connection and
belonging—the places and people that shape and change us, forever
calling us home."
“A gripping story that’s hard to put down--draws the reader into complex and deeply human questions as her
characters’ lives intertwine over three decades of joy, loss, grief, and
below it all, like a sustaining chord, loyalty and kindness. Call My Name reminds us that love calls us to be generous rather than possessive
and that we can go on, even when terrible things happen, because we’re
profoundly connected. Layered, sometimes shocking, yet shining with
goodness and hope, it’s exactly the kind of story we need right now.” — Barbara Linn Probst,Sarton and Nautilus
award-winning author of The Sound Between the Notes & The Color of Ice
"Jenni Ogden's done it again—given us a beautifully crafted novel filled
with the complexities, mysteries and joys of human connection within a family and between sisters, lovers and friends. Filled
with authenticity, compassion and grace, Call My Name will find its way deep into your heart and soul, and stay with you
long after the last page has been turned." — Sally Cole-Misch, Award-winning author of The Best Part of Us
“Vivid setting, dynamic plot, and likable characters come together
beautifully to deliver an emotionally compelling tale of
friendship, love, loss, and forgiveness. Call My Nameis a fantastic read.”
— Jodi Wright, Award-winning author of How to Grow an Addict & Eat and Get Gas.
“This is a love story ... of couples, of friends, of families.
A page turning saga that is fresh in its story, yet provides the warmth of
an old-fashioned classic." — Romalyn Tilghman, Award-winning author of To the Stars with Difficulties, 2018 Kansas Notable Book of the Year
Book Description:
Two women, bound together by opposite personalities, friendship, love and
family—until motherhood rips them apart.
From Jenni Ogden, author of bestselling novel A Drop in the Ocean (Gold Nautilus Award for Fiction) comes a compelling family
saga set in the Australian Tropics and spanning the 1960s to
1990s.
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.
Author Interview Q: Your book is set in Far North
Queensland. Have you ever been there? A: Yes, we spend most winters
there! And Killara is set in a
wilderness area we know and love. In real life it is an eco-resort called Thala
Beach Nature Reserve, but apart from replacing the luxurious buildings them
with a Queenslander homestead, it is exactly as I describe it in the book. And
our own new home in New Zealand, on an off-grid island, is very like that
Queenslander and is named Killara after the Killara in the book!
Q:
Who was the hardest character to write? A:
Olivia was the hardest because I had to put her through so much tragedy. When I
sent my ‘first’ draft to the wonderful editior I use, a draft where my
characters had far less tragedy and even when bad things happened they came
through them pretty quickly, she made a comment that has stuck with me. “It is
difficult when one is a kind person and we just want these characters whom we
love to be happy. In fact, once you have determined what Olivia wants in life,
first you need to stop her getting it (until the end) and then, to make matters
worse, you have to throw rocks at her, bigger and bigger ones, right until the
end of the story.” So I had to force
myself to stop protecting my characters to make this a tense and
thought-provoking story for readers. But it wasn’t easy to put Olivia through
all that.
Q: Who
was the easiest character to write? A: Cassandra
because she was so much fun!
Q: In your book you make a reference to Motor Neuron Disease. How did
you come up with this idea? A: In my past career as a clinical neuropsychologist I worked with
people who suffered from neurological disorders and their families. Although
medical and neurological issues aren’t central in my novels, they do seem to
creep in somewhere!
Q: What advice would you give budding writers? A: First: write the best draft you can. Second: invest in the best
editor/ms assessor you can afford. Third: consider all her/his suggestions
carefully. Fourth: get excited about revising your novel and making it deeper and
better. And always read widely, both good novels in your genre and expanding to
novels outside your genre. Reading widely and thoughtfully is your best
creative writing course, and as a plus you can feel good about reading because
it is essential to your work!
Q: What is your favorite travel spot? A: Like many New Zealanders I have travelled a lot; around much of
Australia, and to many Pacific islands, multiple times to UK and Europe, to the
US, Canada and Mexico, and to many African countries. Some of these places make
an appearance in my novels and others are sure to in the future. My top two
travel loves are coral islands, and camping safaris in Africa. The place I most
want to return to is Africa; I have had amazing camping safari experiences in
South Africa, Botswana and Kenya. I have a followup novel to ‘Call My Name’
semi-planned starring Grace, the youngest of the Killara family, as she follows
her dream as a wildlife researcher working in a small safari park in Kenya. Of
course it doesn’t all go smoothly!
And
do sign up to my occasional e-newsletter: http://www.jenniogden.com/newsletter.htm
Meet the Author:
Jenni Ogden and her husband live off-grid on spectacular Great Barrier
Island, 100 kms off the coast of New Zealand, a perfect place to write and
for grandchildren to spend their holidays. Winters are often spent in Far
North Tropical Queensland, close to Killara, the fictional home in
Call My Name, her third novel.
Her debut novel published in 2016, A Drop in the Ocean, was an Amazon
bestseller and won multiple awards including the 2016 Gold Nautilus Award
for Fiction, Large Publisher.
Her second novel, The Moon is Missing, was published in 2020 and is
set on London, New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and Great Barrier
Island, NZ.
Jenni, who holds a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology and was awarded the
Distinguished Career Award by the International Neuropsychological Society
in 2015, is well-known for her books featuring her patients’ moving stories:
Fractured Minds: A Case-Study Approach to Clinical Neuropsychology,
and
Trouble In Mind: Stories from a Neuropsychologist’s Casebook.
Welcome to Jazzy Book Reviews. Here you will find my various book reviews, as well as cover reveals, blitzes, and tours I've hosted. If you're an author and would like me to review your book, please have a peek at my review policy before contacting me. Thank you!
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