Tomorrow – if morning comes, if the storm stops raging – Cora will register the name of her son. Or perhaps, and this is her real concern, she’ll formalise who he will become.
It is 1987, and in the aftermath of a great storm, Cora sets out with her nine-year-old daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband intends her to follow a long-standing family tradition and call the boy after him. But faced with the decision, Cora hesitates, questioning whether it is right for her child to share his name with generations of domineering men. Her choice in this moment will shape the course of their lives.
Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, and one that will prove as cataclysmic as the storm from which it emerges. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, believing it will give him the opportunity to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his image – but is there still a chance to break the mould?
This is the story of three names, three versions of a life and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. It is the story of one family and how love endures, no matter what fate has in store.
It is 1987, and in the aftermath of a great storm, Cora sets out with her nine-year-old daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband intends her to follow a long-standing family tradition and call the boy after him. But faced with the decision, Cora hesitates, questioning whether it is right for her child to share his name with generations of domineering men. Her choice in this moment will shape the course of their lives.
Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, and one that will prove as cataclysmic as the storm from which it emerges. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, believing it will give him the opportunity to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his image – but is there still a chance to break the mould?
This is the story of three names, three versions of a life and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. It is the story of one family and how love endures, no matter what fate has in store.
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Reviews
The Names is extraordinary. Such clean, beautiful prose. Somehow she tells this story of many people, many different lives, many different times and those sliding door moments with such clarity . . . I could not look away because Florence Knapp makes you care instantly about every single character. The novel is full of truths about nature and nurture, the people we meet in our lives who can help us choose new paths . . . a very bold, brave and moving story about domestic abuse. But most of all for me it was the story of a bond between a brother and a sister and the lengths a mother will go to to protect her children. I would say we can all believe the hype. Brava Florence Knapp for your novel from the heart
The Names is a beautiful, heartwrenching, utterly original novel - this one will stay with me for years to come
The Names is a truly gorgeous, heart-opening novel. I couldn't put it down, and I'm grateful to have Cora and her children living inside my heart now. What a wonderful book!
The Names made me fall in love and broke my heart three times over. Gorgeous, hopeful and fascinating, it's a wonderful read that made me reflect on all the small decisions we make and the ripple effects they create. A stunning debut
A beautiful, gripping and resonant novel that explores with remarkable sensitivity how we become who we are - it will stay with me
A stunningly and deftly told story of family, survival and the fundamentals of human existence. The Names blew me away. Heartbreaking, hopeful and gorgeously crafted
Every so often a truly special book comes along, one that stays with you long after turning the last page. I raged, cheered and wept alongside Bear, Gordon and Julian. Compassionate, haunting and gripping, it urges you to reflect on the path not taken, the infinite small decisions and sacrifices that lead us to our own particular lives
I fell in love with Cora and all the versions of her children. A powerful, emotional portrayal of the ways violence, in families and in the world, can leave both brutal and more subtle scars. Compelling, finely crafted, and beautifully written
I found myself completely immersed in this book - it is conceptually clever but compelling, careful and tender in its telling too. The clever use of time reminded me of some of my favourite novels - Life After Life, One Day, The Time Traveler's Wife - yet The Names is its own special thing: a moving exploration of the impact of choice and how much power any of us really have to dictate the course of our lives
I read it in three greedy gulps . . . a story of a family broken by cruelty but healed by resilience, love and possibility
I'm left haunted by this book, and I can't wait to read whatever comes next for Florence Knapp. What a remarkable debut
In The Names, Florence Knapp takes an ordinary question - what's in a name? - and turns it into a meditation on identity, fate, and family. Sharp, tender, and beautifully rendered, with characters that linger long after the final page, this is storytelling at its finest
Magnificent. A stunning, hopeful, bitterly beautiful novel. The Names is a story of decisions, both grand and miniature, of how each is sewn into the tapestry of what makes us uniquely us. And how a single change can be our making and unravelling. Read it. It's very special
Ranging across the whole gamut of human emotions, The Names is a dazzlingly original meditation on the multiple potential selves contained inside a single life, and, in many ways, a challenge to live and love well. It's experimental, absorbing, beautifully conceived and stylishly executed
Reading The Names feels like being submerged into a more beautiful version of our own world, one in which absolutely everything, from a bobbin to a baby's name, vibrates with meaning and potentially devastating consequence. It left me feeling shaken, wrung-out, and glowing with hope. A masterful work of art
Haunting and heartfelt; I couldn't look away from this emotionally charged story of fate, family and heart-shattering what ifs