‘A magnificent novel, thrumming with life in all its pain and precariousness, yet suffused with the glorious possibilities of love and redemption.’ —Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Horse
‘The Names is a truly gorgeous, heart-opening novel. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m grateful to have Cora and her children living inside my heart now. What a wonderful book!’ —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful
‘Magnificent. A stunning, hopeful, bitterly beautiful novel....Read it. It’s very special.’—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark
The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?
In the wake of a catastrophic 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 infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...
Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. 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, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.
Genre: Literary Fiction
‘The Names is a truly gorgeous, heart-opening novel. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m grateful to have Cora and her children living inside my heart now. What a wonderful book!’ —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful
‘Magnificent. A stunning, hopeful, bitterly beautiful novel....Read it. It’s very special.’—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark
The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?
In the wake of a catastrophic 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 infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...
Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. 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, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"Reading The Names feels like being submerged into a more beautiful version of our own world, one in which absolutely everything, from a bobbin to a baby's name, vibrates with meaning and potentially devastating consequence. It left me feeling shaken, wrung-out, and glowing with hope. A masterful work of art." - Holly Brickley
"In The Names, Florence Knapp takes an ordinary question - what's in a name? - and turns it into a meditation on identity, fate, and family. Sharp, tender, and beautifully rendered, with characters that linger long after the final page, this is storytelling at its finest." - Adrienne Brodeur
"A magnificent novel, thrumming with life in all its pain and precariousness, yet suffused with the glorious possibilities of love and redemption." - Geraldine Brooks
"The Names is a gorgeous, compelling, and haunting novel. Florence Knapp gracefully explores the ideas of fate, luck, and the weight of a name. Each version of these characters and this story cracked my heart wide open." - Jennifer Close
"Haunting and heartfelt; I couldn't look away from this emotionally charged story of fate, family and heart-shattering what ifs." - Claire Daverley
"A tour de force. . . truly mesmerizing and profound. Knapp crafts a world where names are keys that can unlock the truth about who we are and who we can become. At once haunting and revelatory, The Names is a brilliant exploration of the choices that define our lives." - Alison Espach
"Ambitious, compelling and intensely moving, The Names succeeds in all it sets out to do. Knapp showcases her talent with aplomb." - Anne Griffin
"Brilliant. I was amazed by how much joy Florence Knapp could get into a book so filled with tragedy. Incredibly moving and unexpected, and inventive." - Emma Healey
"Beautiful, heart-wrenching, utterly original." - Miranda Cowley Heller
"Behold The Names, which delivers a propulsive, beautifully told story about what happens in three different scenarios when a baby is given three different names. . . Don't miss it!" - Elin Hilderbrand
"A beautiful, gripping and resonant novel that explores with remarkable sensitivity how we become who we are - it will stay with me." - Emily Howes
"I'm left haunted by this book, and I can't wait to read whatever comes next for Florence Knapp. What a remarkable debut." - Mary Beth Keane
"I'm in AWE. Powerful, moving, and beautiful." - Marian Keyes
"Every so often a truly special book comes along, one that stays with you long after turning the last page. I raged, cheered and wept alongside Bear, Gordon and Julian. Compassionate, haunting and gripping, it urges you to reflect on the path not taken, the infinite small decisions and sacrifices that lead us to our own particular lives." - Elizabeth Macneal
"The Names made me fall in love and broke my heart three times over. Gorgeous, hopeful and fascinating, it's a wonderful read that made me reflect on all the small decisions we make and the ripple effects they create. A stunning debut." - Cesca Major
"The Names is extraordinary. Such clean, beautiful prose . . . Full of truths about nature and nurture, and the people we meet in our lives who can help us choose new paths." - Georgina Moore
"This beautifully written, wise, and tender first novel is an utter original." - Jojo Moyes
"The Names is a truly gorgeous, heart-opening novel. I couldn't put it down, and I'm grateful to have Cora and her children living inside my heart now. What a wonderful book!" - Ann Napolitano
"Unlike anything I've ever read, The Names is wise and surprising and thrumming with life. A very, very special book." - Bobby Palmer
"I fell in love with Cora and all the versions of her children. A powerful, emotional portrayal of the ways violence, in families and in the world, can leave both brutal and more subtle scars. Compelling, finely crafted, and beautifully written." - Helen Simonson
"Fascinating and deeply moving, The Names explores how one decision can shape the course of a life - and many other lives in turn. Knapp's characters are perfectly drawn and entirely original, while also being emblematic of the ways domestic violence can damage all the members of a family." - J Courtney Sullivan
"Haunting, heartbreaking and spellbindingly beautiful, this novel more than delivers on its brilliant premise. I loved Knapp's spare, luminous prose and the three casts of characters, each as complex and human as the other; above all I loved their thirst for hope and redemption, which kept me rooted to their side even in their darkest hours." - Rosie Walsh
"Magnificent. A stunning, hopeful, bitterly beautiful novel. The Names is a story of decisions, both grand and miniature, of how each is sewn into the tapestry of what makes us uniquely us. And how a single change can be our making and unraveling. Read it. It's very special." - Chris Whitaker
"In The Names, Florence Knapp takes an ordinary question - what's in a name? - and turns it into a meditation on identity, fate, and family. Sharp, tender, and beautifully rendered, with characters that linger long after the final page, this is storytelling at its finest." - Adrienne Brodeur
"A magnificent novel, thrumming with life in all its pain and precariousness, yet suffused with the glorious possibilities of love and redemption." - Geraldine Brooks
"The Names is a gorgeous, compelling, and haunting novel. Florence Knapp gracefully explores the ideas of fate, luck, and the weight of a name. Each version of these characters and this story cracked my heart wide open." - Jennifer Close
"Haunting and heartfelt; I couldn't look away from this emotionally charged story of fate, family and heart-shattering what ifs." - Claire Daverley
"A tour de force. . . truly mesmerizing and profound. Knapp crafts a world where names are keys that can unlock the truth about who we are and who we can become. At once haunting and revelatory, The Names is a brilliant exploration of the choices that define our lives." - Alison Espach
"Ambitious, compelling and intensely moving, The Names succeeds in all it sets out to do. Knapp showcases her talent with aplomb." - Anne Griffin
"Brilliant. I was amazed by how much joy Florence Knapp could get into a book so filled with tragedy. Incredibly moving and unexpected, and inventive." - Emma Healey
"Beautiful, heart-wrenching, utterly original." - Miranda Cowley Heller
"Behold The Names, which delivers a propulsive, beautifully told story about what happens in three different scenarios when a baby is given three different names. . . Don't miss it!" - Elin Hilderbrand
"A beautiful, gripping and resonant novel that explores with remarkable sensitivity how we become who we are - it will stay with me." - Emily Howes
"I'm left haunted by this book, and I can't wait to read whatever comes next for Florence Knapp. What a remarkable debut." - Mary Beth Keane
"I'm in AWE. Powerful, moving, and beautiful." - Marian Keyes
"Every so often a truly special book comes along, one that stays with you long after turning the last page. I raged, cheered and wept alongside Bear, Gordon and Julian. Compassionate, haunting and gripping, it urges you to reflect on the path not taken, the infinite small decisions and sacrifices that lead us to our own particular lives." - Elizabeth Macneal
"The Names made me fall in love and broke my heart three times over. Gorgeous, hopeful and fascinating, it's a wonderful read that made me reflect on all the small decisions we make and the ripple effects they create. A stunning debut." - Cesca Major
"The Names is extraordinary. Such clean, beautiful prose . . . Full of truths about nature and nurture, and the people we meet in our lives who can help us choose new paths." - Georgina Moore
"This beautifully written, wise, and tender first novel is an utter original." - Jojo Moyes
"The Names is a truly gorgeous, heart-opening novel. I couldn't put it down, and I'm grateful to have Cora and her children living inside my heart now. What a wonderful book!" - Ann Napolitano
"Unlike anything I've ever read, The Names is wise and surprising and thrumming with life. A very, very special book." - Bobby Palmer
"I fell in love with Cora and all the versions of her children. A powerful, emotional portrayal of the ways violence, in families and in the world, can leave both brutal and more subtle scars. Compelling, finely crafted, and beautifully written." - Helen Simonson
"Fascinating and deeply moving, The Names explores how one decision can shape the course of a life - and many other lives in turn. Knapp's characters are perfectly drawn and entirely original, while also being emblematic of the ways domestic violence can damage all the members of a family." - J Courtney Sullivan
"Haunting, heartbreaking and spellbindingly beautiful, this novel more than delivers on its brilliant premise. I loved Knapp's spare, luminous prose and the three casts of characters, each as complex and human as the other; above all I loved their thirst for hope and redemption, which kept me rooted to their side even in their darkest hours." - Rosie Walsh
"Magnificent. A stunning, hopeful, bitterly beautiful novel. The Names is a story of decisions, both grand and miniature, of how each is sewn into the tapestry of what makes us uniquely us. And how a single change can be our making and unraveling. Read it. It's very special." - Chris Whitaker
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