The Names by Florence Knapp

A Sliding Doors Masterclass on Identity and Inheritance

I finished The Names in just a few days, and let me tell you, it’s a novel that lingers. Florence Knapp’s debut is a quiet powerhouse — clever, emotionally raw, and unlike anything I’ve read recently. It poses one deceptively simple question: what happens when a mother decides to name her newborn son differently in three alternate realities? And from that one moment, the story explodes into a web of consequences spanning 35 years.

Plot Summary

At the heart of the novel is Cora, a young mother caught in the chokehold of domestic abuse. Her husband, Gordon, expects her to name their son after him. But Cora is torn. Her daughter Maia suggests “Bear”, a name pulsing with affection and innocence. Cora herself leans toward “Julian”, a name soft with possibility. And then there’s “Gordon Jr.” — the inherited name, the legacy.

Knapp weaves these three paths — Bear, Julian, Gordon — into a layered narrative that advances every seven years, flipping between timelines. We witness how each name, and more importantly, how Gordon Sr.’s reaction to it, alters the family’s trajectory. The result is three boys, three versions of Cora and Maia, and three lives shadowed by trauma, survival, love, and loss.

Themes

• Domestic Violence & its Legacy: This is not a book that flinches. The depiction of abuse is harrowing and unflinchingly real. But Knapp is careful to centre not just the horror, but the fallout — how abuse distorts love, self-worth, and future choices.
• Naming as Agency: The novel asks — does a name shape your future, or merely reflect it? Each timeline suggests that names carry weight, power, even rebellion. But perhaps it’s the act of choosing that truly shifts fate.
• Sliding Doors & the Ripple Effect: This is fiction obsessed with choice. What if we turned left instead of right? What if one word changed everything?
• Motherhood and Protection: Cora’s decisions are deeply maternal. She tries to protect her children, even when it means staying, fleeing, or compromising. Her journey is painful but quietly heroic.

What Worked for Me

• The structure: Once I found my rhythm, the seven-year leaps and alternating timelines became satisfying rather than jarring. I loved spotting echoes across lives — familiar faces reappearing, relationships reshaped by context.
• Emotional depth: Maia’s chapters, especially, wrecked me. Her role as older sister in each timeline was beautifully written, especially as she bears different burdens depending on which version of their life she’s living.
• The writing style: Knapp’s prose is deceptively simple, with short sentences packed with emotional weight. She doesn’t overplay the drama; she lets it settle, and the reader feels the full force.
• Narrative justice: Gordon Sr. isn’t let off lightly. His presence is haunting across every version, but the final chapters deliver a form of reckoning that felt earned and cathartic.

Who Should Read This Book?

If you’re drawn to character-driven fiction that explores complex family dynamics, identity, and trauma — this one’s for you. Fans of The Paper Palace, Homegoing, or even Room may find resonance here. Lovers of multi-POV storytelling and speculative “what if” structures will enjoy the mental acrobatics.

A note of caution: this book contains graphic scenes of abuse, and the emotional toll is intense. Proceed with care — but if you do, there’s so much to unearth.

Final Thoughts

The Names isn’t just about names — it’s about the tangled roots of power, choice, and resilience. It’s one of those books that leaves you changed, rethinking how much meaning we place in small moments. Florence Knapp has crafted a debut full of heartache and hope, and it deserves to be read widely, discussed deeply, and remembered long after the final page.

Reading this with some of SA’s thoughtful bookstagram voices made the experience unforgettable. Thank you #JonathanBallPublishers for this opportunity! #TheNamesReadalong

Jonathan Ball Publishers