The Names by Florence Knapp
on May 6, 2025
Genres: FICTION / Family Life / Marriage & Divorce, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Women
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
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n the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son’s birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she’d like to call the child, Cora hesitates… Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora’s and her young son’s lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.
An interesting premise but it was lost on me that the name of the child altered his life. It was not his name that altered his life. It was the choices that were made, especially the choice to defy the abuser. In each possible scenario it was not only the child’s life that was altered, but also his sister, mother, father, grandmother, as well as the secondary character’s lives. There was generational trauma. This is not a story of names. It’s a story of abuse and the life-altering repercussions of that abuse. I also would have preferred that the story been told in three parts instead of alternating names and timelines, which was sometimes confusing.
I rated this debut four stars. This was a very unique book with different layers to each character’s story, and the timeline flowed beautifully as well, all 35 years. It is a wonderfully written and emotionally profound story, and what I took from it is what one choice can do to someone’s life and how that single decision can affect someone’s life for a long time. And we all must remember that even small decisions can have big consequences. This was a tough read, and it really got to me without a doubt.
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