The Names

by Florence Knapp ★★★★★

Cora Atkin has a decision to make. Having recently given birth to her first son, she is tasked with going to the registrar's office to officially record the baby's name. Her controlling husband is a third-generation Gordon, and he makes it clear that their son shall be named Gordon Atkin IV. Cora, however, is worried about saddling her young boy with a name that "will tie him to generations of domineering men."

On the walk to the registrar's office with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, they discuss options. "You know, I did actually look at which names mean father and the one I liked was Julian, which is sky father," Cora tells Maia. "What would you call him, though?" Maia unsurprisingly has a name chambered and ready. "'Well,' she says, and Cora can tell by the way she stretches out the word that she's already thought about it. 'It's not a very normal sort of name, but I like Bear...It sounds all soft and cuddly and kind,...but also brave and strong.'"

Gordon. Julian. Bear. Three vastly different names. But would a name really make a difference on the trajectory of a person's life? That question is at the heart of The Names, and one that author Florence Knapp explores in three parallel timelines throughout the book.

We quickly come to learn that Gordon the father (Cora's husband) is more than just "domineering"; he is completely controlling and outright abusive, and so the deviation on the name is not something he takes lightly. It has horrible—and in some cases fatal—consequences. Domestic violence plays a prominent role throughout the novel, which makes it an especially difficult read at times. But first-time author Florence Knapp treats a difficult subject with the respect and authenticity it deserves.

It is somewhat shocking that this is Knapp's first book. It's incredibly well-structured, finely written, and it oozes a maturity of plotting and composition at a level unusual to find in any book, much less a debut. The parallel timelines give it a bit of a Sliding Doors vibe, but I appreciated that the different paths that Gordon IV/Julian/Bear takes were still connected in some ways. His name does matter, significantly, but there are also nature and nurture components of his life that form some commonalities across the timelines. It's smartly done with just the right amount of variation. Fate forces its hand on some items no matter what name you're called.

I suspect there are even more subtle nuggets than what I picked up just from my first listen (I chose audiobook for this one); hints and nods throughout that all poke at the true central question: how much of our destiny is pre-determined, and how much might we change it? It's an age-old inquiry, but Knapp's treatment of the potential answer is finely done. One of my favorite authors, Chris Whitaker, called The Names a "hopeful, bitterly beautiful novel", and I love that description. It's sad, and difficult to read in many moments, but with a bullish buoyancy to balance it out. It's definitely worth a read.