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.
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.
Florence Knapp’s noteworthy fictional debut The Names hits the shelves today. Our colleagues Sophie and Damla share their glowing reviews about the brand new title.
Damla
“Cora has never liked the name Gordon. The way it starts with a splintering sound that makes her think of cracked boiled sweets, and then ends with a downward thud like someone slamming down a sports bag. Gordon. But what disturbs her more, is that she must now pour the goodness of her son into its mould, hoping he’ll be strong enough to find his own shape within it.”
Florence Knapp’s debut novel kicks off with a fascinating premise: Cora is on the way to officially register her newly born son’s name. What she probably should do, what her husband explicitly expects her to do, is to name him Gordon. A name passed down to all the men in her husband’s family through the generations. A tradition that holds a generational burden and a dangerous potential in store.
Or, she could name him Julian. A name that she feels is right. A name that means “sky father,” a promise to rise above tradition and step out into the world with a fresh start, while still hoping to appease the boy’s father.
Or, more impulsive yet, she could give him the name Bear. A unique name chosen by her daughter, cementing the lifelong bond between the siblings. A name that exudes a soft, kind, cuddly safety that is also brave and fearsome.
From the moment she signs the birth certificate, three distinct paths open up in the baby’s life. We travel in time with 7 year intervals to see his alternative futures where he carries each of these names.
Are we what we are shaped to be by the names chosen for us? Would you be a different person if your name were different?
At its core, you could say that this book is a study of nature vs nurture. As heartbreaking as it is healing, it opens up an utterly compelling window into motherhood, trauma, and abuse. I have always been a big fan of “what if” plotlines, and Knapp has created a beautifully complex, emotional, raw story that won’t spare your feelings but is very much worth the heartache.
In summary, this book broke my heart and all I could say in response was “thank you.”
Sophie
The Names is a beautiful portrait of how someone’s choice can echo on into the decades beyond. In this case: what Cora names her son. Each name choice is loaded: Gordon is what her husband, also Gordon, explicitly wants him named. Julian is the name Cora finds the most fitting, as it means Sky Father and she finds that infinitely hopeful. Bear is what her 9 year-old daughter wants to call her little brother.
Each of her three choices are worked out in seven-year increments, and it’s both uplifting and heartbreaking, over and over again, to discover what each new period brings. Knapp cleverly weaves parallel choices for each of her characters – they’re not ever the same, but in line with the character, and the life laid out in that strand. Some characters become main characters in one strand, but remain in the background in others. Still, there is a continuous unity to all of the strands that is a truly excellent feat of the writing.
Above all, however, this is a sensitive, harrowing study of domestic violence and abuse, and how that affects absolutely everyone associated. The violence is not ever quite front and center, but inescapable nonetheless, and readers should be forewarned that this is a central theme to the book. Each life strand deals with it in its own way, and even in happy moments it’s a spectre in the background. I personally found it a powerful story, especially in showing how the abuse is a dominant theme even to those at quite a distance to it.
All in all, I highly recommend the book. I finished it in a day, despite the sometimes heavy moments, and I’ve thought back on it quite a few times since finishing it.
