Book

The names / Florence Knapp.

ISBN: 9780593833902
ISBN: 0593833902
Physical Description: 328 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Edition: First United States edition.
Publisher: New York, NY : Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, [2025]
Copyright: &copy;2025

Summary:

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. 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. -- Provided by publisher.