Barrow Fields synecdoche

She doesn’t go on to explain the confusion, instead of speaking his name—had she forgotten?—only to ask him a question. He stares at her for a long moment as he tries to recollect a name that may be important but he quickly concludes he doesn’t. If his north-ness is enough to mention with the question attached, perhaps he is someone from the north he should know about if he were to have come from a specific area but the name doesn’t ring a single bell.

“Who is it?” he asked with a slight tilt of his head.