The story of one family told three different ways, leading to three different fates-a dazzling debut that asks: Can a name shape the course of a life?
In the wake of an enormous, history-making 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 child after him. But when the registrar asks which name she wants to pick, Cora hesitates . . .
What follows are three alternate and alternating versions of both Cora's and her young son's life, shaped by her brave last-minute choice of name. Spanning thirty-five years, the novel draws us in from the first page, as we follow three unforgettable journeys of one young man, but also his mother, grandmother, and sister. 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.
With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, and shows us what we each can do with the "one precious life" we are given. The Names' brilliantly imaginative structure, its propulsive storytelling, and the emotional, gut-wrenching power of the book itself are certain to make it a modern classic. FLORENCE KNAPP is a writer whose short stories have been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and won the Bath Short Story Award's Acorn Award. She is the author of a non-fiction book about a centuries-old method of quilt-making and has also contributed to a book for the Victoria and Albert Museum. She is passionate about children's literacy and has worked alongside her husband for the past fifteen years creating educational apps for use in schools. Florence lives in Kent with a dog, Nell, and her musician husband, who, thankfully, is absolutely nothing like the one in her novel. Her two children have recently flown the nest. The Names is her first novel.
