What’s in a name? A lot – at least in Florence Knapp’s thought-provoking and assured debut novel. It’s 1987, and a young mother trapped in an abusive marriage is about to register the birth of her new son. Her controlling husband expects the child to be named after him, but she wants to give him his own identity. What follows is a Sliding Doors-esque split narrative, in which Knapp imagines three parallel futures for the child: in each one he’s given a different name, which alters the trajectory of his life. While at times The Names makes for difficult reading, there’s a beauty and tenderness at the heart of this novel that meant I couldn’t put it down.
The Names by Florence Knapp, (List Price: $30, Pamela Dorman Books, 9780593833902, May 2025)
Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi