As someone who would probably have been a very different person had I actually turned out to be the expected boy who would be called Christopher, I have always been fascinated by the link between names and personality. Consequently, when I was sent The Names by Florence Knapp, I was delighted. My grateful thanks to Sian Baldwin at Orion. It’s my pleasure to share my review of The Names today.
The Names is published by Orion imprint Phoenix on 6th May and is available for purchase through the links here.
The Names
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 for her to follow a long-standing family tradition and call the baby after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates. Going against his wishes is a risk that will have consequences, but is it right for her child to inherit his name from generations of domineering men? The choice she makes 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 emerged. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, believing it will enable him to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his cruel image – but is there still a chance to break the mould?
Powerfully moving and full of hope, 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 love’s endless capacity to endure, no matter what fate has in store.
My Review of The Names
Cora needs to register her baby son’s name.
If you are not absolutely prepared to have your heart and soul rent asunder when reading, choose a different book to The Names. This is not so much a book to read as one that will change the very fibre of your being.
I’m not entirely certain how to approach reviewing The Names. There are plots rather than a plot, but each is inextricably linked to the others and represents possibility through a twist of fate, as well as actuality. Florence Knapp includes both the dramatic and the relatably mundane in a beautiful oscillating text that is mesmerising and absorbing. This is more a book to experience than to read. It feels like a narrative about the perceived surface of life. Give that surface a small scratch and there are multiple aspects below that reverberate with endless permutations and Florence Knapp provides an insight into that deeper life.
It’s no spoiler to say that Cora is tasked by her husband Gordon with registering the new baby, but what follows is a glimpse of how a simple name can impinge on a life, how a personality can be shaped by a moniker and how destiny can unspool differently because of what we are called, our pasts and upbringing, or what we believe. This book is a beautiful, profound and emotional exploration of nature and nurture, with destiny and self-determinism that suffuses the narrative, making the reader feel its message physically.
The characters of Bear, Julian and young Gordon are completely different, equally compelling and believable and yet they are the same person. Each broke my heart, either because of how they behaved and affected Cora, how they were affected by their violent and abusive father, or because of the events that befell them beyond, as well as because of, their father’s impact in their life.
The themes of The Names are stunningly handled. Cora and Gordon’s marriage is the one constant. Gordan’s abusive control of Cora remains whilst the other aspects of the plot go through kaleidoscopic shifts. The concepts of marriage and family, trust, compassion, sexuality, public personas versus private behaviours and so, so, much more underpin the narrative. The Names is layered, textured and completely absorbing.
At its heart, for me The Names is about how we shatter as humans and how we survive. It is filled with coercion and control, sadness and hatred, love, loss and hope and it is totally, totally magnificent. I am aware this isn’t really a satisfactory review but I think each reader needs to experience The Names for themselves in order to understand my inability to articulate a coherent assessment. Don’t miss it because I cannot recommend it highly enough.
About Florence Knapp
Florence Knapp has previously written a non-fiction book about a centuries-old method of quilt making, as well as contributing to a book for the V&A Museum. She lives just outside London with her husband and their dog. Their two children have now flown the nest. The Names is Florence’s debut novel and will be translated into more than twenty languages.
For further information, visit Florence’s website, or find Florence on Instagram and Bluesky.
English (US) · 