Loved the concept of this one — how a name can shape a life — and early on, I was really drawn in by Cora’s journey toward finding her voice. But as the story split into three timelines and jumped ahead, I struggled to stay emotionally connected. The writing is thoughtful but dense, and I found it hard to stay engaged.

Not quite the right fit for me, but readers who enjoy complex, layered literary fiction and explorations of identity and domestic abuse may really appreciate it.

A sliding doors story with 3 alternate timelines following the life of a baby born into an abusive marriage. In one, the baby is named after his abusive, but well respected doctor father as is family tradition, in another he is named by his older sister, in another by his mother. Each timeline is less about the name itself, more about the choice and how that act shapes decisions moving forward.

I liked this debut and think it has broad appeal. There’s enough to chew on here to be satisfying even if I found the story relying a little heavily on the sliding door structure and plot and less on characterization than I personally prefer.

The Names set out to explore the impact of a mother's name choice for her son, and how those choices ripple out over the following thirty-five years. In three different timelines to accommodate the three different name choices, Knapp highlights domestic abuse, family, and healing.

While some rare authors’ writing can effortlessly handle the weight and insistence of present tense, <b>The Names</b> fell short of this feat. Instead of effectively conveying the story, the novel is plagued by dull, repetitive, and unengaging passages.

Also, and maybe most importantly to me, it failed to deliver on the promises made by its marketing, offering very little by way of examining the impact of different first names. Instead, the narrative centers around an abuser whose presence permeates every page, whether through literal references or the lingering effects he has left behind. If I had known this beforehand, I probably wouldn't have picked up this book. I struggled to find anything fresh in this novel of threes, where in some parts the answers to the novel's overarching "what-ifs" seemed obvious and in others the directions and choices made felt unearned.

Putting aside the marketing issues and the present tense, while it didn't live up to my expectations (however misdirected), this did have an often touching display of a family, splayed out in three different directions — each with interesting possibilities.

Wow! The Names is a book that I’ve continued - and will continue - to think about since finishing. Told in alternate realities, over several decades, this profound and thought-provoking book explores not only the question of “what’s in a name?” but also the lifetime impact of a decision. I loved every minute of it.

Domestic abuse and physical abuse was too strong for me to push through the book. The concept of this book sounded incredible but I couldn’t do it. Also, has some lgbtq themes pretty early too and that is something I don’t enjoy reading. Not the book for me and that’s okay.

Thank you to Net Galley and Viking Penguin for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Cora goes to register the name of her newborn son with her nine year old daughter Maia after a huge storm has delayed the process. Cora's husband is a well respected doctor but at home he is belligerent, condescending and controlling, and has insisted that Cora name the baby after him. Yet, as Cora is there she's not sure what name she will register for her some. In three alternating stories spanning about three decades, we see the effects of a name - one picked by Gordon, one picked by Cora, and the last by Maia. We follow the family members and based on the name their lives are changed, as well as what her son becomes. This is the ultimate sliding door scenario. 3.5 stars.

The Names by Florence Knapp is such an interesting look at how a name can change the trajectory of a life. This book is broken into three different stories that all follow Cora and her family starting from the day she goes to the registrar's office to name her newborn son. The stories alternate based on which name she gives him. These stories are full of trauma and heartache, but I very much enjoyed all three storylines and I think this would be a phenomenal book club read!

The idea of how a life can be different based on a child's name was very intriguing and the book lived up to it. We follow the same family with three different paths. Cora names her son differently, admittedly the storylines have more to do with the father's reaction to Cora depending on the name she chose than how the name affected her son.

I really enjoyed the story and how even one decision we make can affect our lives. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 is a stunning, captivating story that is one of the best books this year! It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel.

Knapp explores various potential futures facing the main protagonist Cora and her two children, all stemming from the pivotal decision of naming her newborn son. The book explores the lives of the family over 35 years, told in a sliding doors/alternate reality narrative.

Please note the content warnings for this book because Cora's life consistently revolves around horrific. abuse and violence from her physician husband, and the author explores how this trauma impacts the lives of her children and those around her.

The characters are all unforgettable and I was very moved by this incredibly poignant novel. Don’t miss this one.

Many thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a stunning and creative debut novel from Florence Knapp! Can your name change your fate? This book was fantastically impressive, especially as a debut. Cora, who provides the narration throughout, offers such a thought-provoking perspective of domestic abuse, family legacies, and wanting to do right by your kin. The Names is an emotional "what-if" that has bounced around in my brain for the past few weeks as I tried to put my thoughts into words. How different would my life be if I had a different name? Does fate always play a hand in the paths we choose? Knapp paints a picture for her readers that is bound to root itself deep in their daily lives....and probably cause some existential crises along the way. 5 stars for a fantastic debut!

I didn’t realize how much of this book was going to center around domestic violence. The publishers blurb says this book “explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse” so I wasn’t prepared for much of it to be on the page. I’m done reading books about men tormenting women; if I had realized that’s what this was, I would have skipped it.

I’m giving it a neutral rating (3 stars) because I recognize that other readers don’t have the same vehemence about this subject matter as I do, but that feels generous since I was also underwhelmed by the writing.

Does a name define you? This story is 3 stories in 1 book and it tells the story of the same boy--with the exception of having been given a different name. The timeline is chronological: birth, seven years later, teenage/college/career, and marriage. The book was separated into those periods of time and chronicled Bear/Julian/Gordon along with his sister and parents during those periods (pay attention, the multiple story line can be somewhat confusing later in the life). The author portrayed the difference a name can make very well--impressive book. Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for the digital ARC. I very much enjoyed it. This is my true opinion. 4 stars but only because I sometimes got lost between the different names.

What an interesting concept. This was broken into three sections for each time period - one for each version of Cora's boy, based on his name. This had the potential to get confusing, but for me, it wasn't. I loved all the crossovers from one story to the next, characters who were of major importance in one story, and a minor character in another. Trigger warning: the entire story focuses on some pretty significant domestic abuse, and how it ripples through generations, and how to recover from it. Interesting book, worth the read!

I give this a 3.5/5.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an incredibly beautiful debut novel about choosing a name and how it affects lives. I went into this one blind and I am so glad I did. Every piece of this story had a strong emotional pull. It was such a unique concept for a story with healing, second chances, and an exploration of the things that shape us.

There were heavy topics in this novel. It was emotional and heartbreaking, but told with great care and tenderness. I thought the audio narration was very well done and I would definitely choose to read it that way again!

Delighted to include this title in the May edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

The Names was an intense book with an interesting premise. How much does our name shape us as a person? Told in 3 alternating storylines, Cora gives her son a different name in each one with very different outcomes. Entwined in these stories is the over bearing and abusive husband, Gordon. I immediately had a favorite name and storyline. Sometimes I wished I had made myself notes to keep each storyline straight. But I still loved seeing the different twists in each rendering. It definitely makes you think!

Often, a book doesn't live up to the hype, but The Names by Florence Knapp is a well-written family drama that lives up to the reviews. The premise of the story is about how different a life and the lives around one can be just by virtue of name choice. Thus the title, but for me, the story is about the resulting consequences, opportunities ,and ripple effects for those in your circle based on choices to act or not act.

Trigger warnings for domestic abuse.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of The Names in exchange for an honest review. The Name is available now.
5-star read

What's in a name?

The premise of this book's plot is so enticing. Cora (mother and one time dancer) and Gordon (husband and physician) have their second child, a boy. He is welcomed at home by big sister, Maia, 9 years his senior.

Because the baby is born at home during a snow storm with a midwife attending, it is days later that Cora trudges to the registrar's office to register his birth and record his name. This is where the meat of the plot begins - she is very ambivalent about the name. Her husband, who is controlling, manipulative, calculating, cruel and for lack of a better term, a real a**hole, is expecting her to name the baby after him and his father, Gordon. Cora herself fancies the name, Julian, and in her mind believes she can justify it to Gordon because Julian means "father" just as their daughter's name, Maia, means "mother." Maia herself, a real little mother hen who has become accustomed to her father's tirades, voices that she would love to name her baby brother Bear because it is a fun, cuddly moniker.

Bear, Julian, Gordon...the remainder of the book, which spans a period of 35 years in seven year intervals, discloses the versions of each of their lives in relationship to the chosen names. What if their son and Maia's brother grew up being named Bear; who would he be if he were Julian; how would the name Gordon affect not only his but all of their lives?

The story is in intriguing while simultaneously fascinating, disheartening, discouraging, and in some instances deadly. It is captivating to see just what is in a name and its connotations. Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group for this captivating read that hits shelves May 6th.

Could it be that the name you give a child could influence their lives as well as the lives of those around him? The author, Florence Knapp, has written a rather unique book that does just that. The book’s main subject is about domestic violence, both physical and emotional. Each chapter details a scenario that plays out with the three possible names that Cora could have named her newborn son. The three names are Bear, Julian, and Gordon. The following chapters jump ahead in years to continue with these three differently named boys as you read how their lives played out. Cora’s life as a domestic violence victim is an important part of this story.
This is such an unusual storyline. There is some disturbing content. I was absorbed in this story and there were times when I wanted to scold Cora to be more assertive and there were other times when I applauded her strength and love of her children.
This book reminded me a little of the “butterfly effect” where small changes in behavior can have major consequences in the future of our lives.

How much can your name affect your life? That’s the question that drives this novel. When Cora goes to register her son’s birth, she has three names in mind for him: one after her husband, one her daughter has chosen and one she has chosen. What follows is what her and her family’s life looks like depending on what choice she makes that fateful day.

The idea that the name drives the future is a simplistic view of this book, as it’s more that Cora’s exercise of her free choice that determines the path not only for her son, but for herself and her daughter. How many of us have questioned a decision we made in our past and wondered if a different decision would produce a better path…I know I have. This book really dives into that part of ourselves, deep diving on how one choice creates such different scenarios. What’s beautiful about this story is that even what the reader may interpret as the “right” choice may not produce perfect results…each path has it’s flaws and it’s own kind of pain that shapes each character in different ways.

This book explores a lot of heavy topics—Cora’s decisions complicated by an abusive relationship, and each name comes with its own traumatic encounters. I say this not to scare off any readers but to prepare those who read it for what’s to come. However, there is also hope and redemption in various forms that help balance the story. This is a story that will stay with a reader for a long time, not only because of the story told within it, but because of the thoughts it provokes about how decisions made have driven our own lives.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I appreciate the opportunity!**