Review of The Names by Florence Knapp

Knapp's novel explores three life paths for a set of characters, all set into motion by the naming of the youngest child--whimsical, Mom's choice, or named for his cruel father. The trauma was difficult to read, but the various timelines were fascinating, as were the intersections of events and characters among them.

Florence Knapp's novel The Names explores three paths in a life--determined by three different names given to a baby upon his birth.

In one timeline, an abused wife makes a stand for a whimsical name suggested by her daughter Maia, Bear; in a second, she makes a less aggressive but unsanctioned name choice that's her favorite, Julian; in a third, she registers her baby's name as "junior" to her brutal husband Gordon.

In this sliding-doors story, the three paths diverge dramatically, and the whole family's destiny is shaped in different ways for each option.

I often bristle at a reliance on or seeming glorification of trauma within a story, and here, Gordon is emotionally and physically abusive to Cora in each timeline. His abuse is wide-ranging, nefariously creative, horrifyingly oppressive, and potentially deadly. Cora is a strong young ballet dancer when she meets her future husband, and it is excruciating to repeatedly witness her spirit becoming dismantled and her body broken.

I'm fascinated by alternate timelines. While I feel resistant to Knapp's placing of the weight of the main characters' fates on Cora's shoulders so that all of the key characters' futures are dependent on the varied levels of bravery Cora shows on the day she officially names her son, the premise is intriguing.

And which would be better? To have those days boiled down into one intense burst of color, or to have the pin removed from the thorax every now and then, dusty wings fluttering back to life, a little more time eked out before being locked away again?

Each timeline produces a vastly different boy, a significantly shaped sister Maia, drastically different paths for mother Cora, and altered futures for father Gordon. Supporting characters make easter-egg appearances in other timelines.

None of the paths are too easy or perfect, but each offers varied satisfaction and challenge in the form of justice, tragedy, self-realization, fulfillment, confidence, and hope.

The epilogue surprised me; I wasn't sure it was necessary or that I bought into the point of view and the version of a reckoning that it offered, but it was an interesting way to set up slight closure to the story.

I found this novel fascinating.

More Novels that Play with Time

I love a story that plays with time through alternate timelines, time travel, second chances, or other structures.

For more Bossy reviews of books that play with time, please check out these titles.