The Names
'The best debut novel in years' Sunday Times
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4.3 • 251 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A once-in-a-generation debut from a major new talent, The Names is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark.
'I've just been blown away by the best debut novel in years . . . A genius idea for a book'
Sunday Times
'Wildly original and emotionally profound'
Observer
'An unadulterated success: moving, evocative and utterly convincing'
The Times
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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.
CHOSEN AS A SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY MAIL, RED, PRIMA, STYLIST and EVENING STANDARD BOOK OF 2025 | A READ WITH JENNA BOOKCLUB PICK
'The viral literary hit of the summer'
Grazia
'A beautiful, heartwrenching, utterly original novel'
Miranda Cowley Heller
'The 2025 book that will be everywhere . . . One of those rare books that makes you glad to be alive'
Stylist
'Magnificent . . . Read it. It's very special'
Chris Whitaker
'Beautifully written, and wise and tender . . . An utter original'
Jojo Moyes
'Exceptional . . . will stay with me for a very long time'
Anita Rani, Woman's Hour
'Heart-shattering . . . a sucker punch of a novel'
Pandora Sykes
'A modern classic'
Jenna Bush Hager
'Heartbreaking and yet brimful of hope . . . Exceptional'
Mail on Sunday
'Brilliant . . . one of those books that will make you irritable with anyone who interrupts you, but which you'll finish wanting to press into the hands of a friend'
The Times
'Astonishing, unique and incredibly moving, The Names is a beautiful novel about the courage of a mother in the moment she names her child . . . I know it will stay with me for a long time'
Jeanine Cummins
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Debut novels don’t come much more emotionally charged than The Names. Florence Knapp takes a unique premise—following a child through to middle age at seven-year intervals, tracing three distinct paths he might take depending on which name his mother gives him at birth—and makes it both tender and unflinching. The boy’s mum is trapped in an abusive relationship with a respected London doctor, and the novel questions whether she might finally escape that frightful scenario. Each of the baby’s three names is freighted with different meanings, and the fable-like narrative examines just how much those symbolic assignations determine individual identity from both within and without. But her inaugural foray into fiction lives up to the strong advance buzz surrounding this novel.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Knapp's intriguing and nuanced debut comprises three alternate story lines for a British family. After giving birth to a baby boy in 1987, Cora goes to the registry office to record his name. Her abusive husband, Gordon, wants the baby named after himself, her nine-year-old daughter thinks Bear would be a good name, and Cora prefers Julian. In each of the three parallel timelines, Cora assigns the baby a different one of the three names, and the lives of the family members unfold radically differently. In the Bear timeline, Cora and the children are mostly free of Gordon, while in the Julian version, the children are raised by Cora's mother in Ireland. When the boy is named Gordon, the three live under the father's tyrannical rule. Minor characters in one timeline sometimes play major roles in another, as Knapp reveals which attributes are intrinsic to her characters' personalities and which are more subject to outside influences. All three story lines twist and turn in surprising but logical directions, as Knapp provides insights into the ways familial pressure can prevent personal growth. Readers won't be able to stop talking about this intelligent exploration of a single choice's long tail of repercussions.
Customer Reviews
Names
I found the concept of the book intriguing. How the name of someone can shape their personality. The stories were raw and real.
This book needs to come with some warning that it contains depictions of DV. I was triggered to the point of nightmares.
Great storytelling but I sometimes got lost as to whose timeline I was in. Still worth the read though.
Incredible
Not the style of book I would normally read but what an incredible read. At times I was disturbed by each event/s as they transpired but I could not put it down. Such a great way to write a story. 3 different lives depending on what birth name each character was called. Well done, can’t wait for your next book.
Outstanding
A beautiful book that I will never forget.