BookLife Review: The Names (Florence Knapp, author) by Carol O'Day

Contemporary fiction, A Read With Jenna Pick, alternative realities, domestic abuse, courage, sibling connection, healing power of friendship, jewelry designer, archeologist, physician, homeopath

Already topping the lists of must-read summer books and creating a stir in book group circles, The Names takes a novel approach to the contemporary novel by developing and tracking three different realities that follow three different choices a mother makes in naming her son. Tasked with registering her newborn son’s name with the local registry office outside of London, Cora is of three minds. Her husband, Gordon, who is controlling and abusive, is insisting that his son be named after him and continue his family’s tradition. Cora dreads that her precious baby might follow in the footsteps of his abusive father and dreams of calling her son, Julian, meaning sky father. Her young daughter Maia proposes that Cora name her brother Bear. Author Florence Knapp resolves Cora’s conundrum by choosing all three–The Names imagines three different lives that Cora’s son (as well as Cora, Maia and Gordon) might live under each of the three names.

The novel is reminiscent of the alternate lives a character lives in the 1998 film Sliding Doors might live if one moment in her life had been different–either she makes the subway home before the subway doors slide closed, or she misses it and takes a later train. In the first, she discovers her husband in an affair and in the second she arrives home after his lover has left.

The context of The Names is even heavier than infidelity. Cora is the victim of domestic abuse, trapped in a marriage with her physician husband who threatens to harm her and secure custody of their children should she attempt to flee or report him to authorities. Gordon’s stature in the community, as a beloved physician of police officers, teachers and others further stymies her ability to flee.

Knapp’s device, imagining different lives for Cora and her children, provides the levity and hope that the topic almost demands without diminishing the importance and severity of the issue. In one iteration, Cora is killed by her husband. In a second, Gordon kills a Good Samaritan who attempts to come to her rescue. In both of these universes, Gordon is arrested and sent to prison, to two very different effects: in one, Maia and her brother are sent to live with their loving maternal grandmother in Ireland. In another, the trio of mother, daughter and son find refuge in a communal household with a friend of Cora’s. In the third, Cora remains in Gordon’s clutches and Maia and her brother are stymied in their ability to free her.

Knapp’s novel is a multi-dimensional reflection on the various impacts of domestic violence on not only the spouse but the children involved. Too many domestic abuse victims are killed by their abusers. Thousands more are trapped and unable to escape or leave and return time and again. Still others manage to escape and build new lives, but not without lasting physical and emotional damage. The Names, however, is not as dark as the subject matter would suggest. It is also a celebration of sibling, parental and grandparent love and the power of friendship. Each of the iterations contains the slings and arrows of misfortune that can visit any life–a sudden death, the loss of a grandparent, mature love put on hold to care for children, and the struggle to live authentically as a gay person. It is also resplendent in its ability to weave in themes of healing–through art, nature and service. Despite the heartache at its core, The Names is imbued with hope. It is a buzzy novel, popping up in book forums everywhere, for good reason. Grab a copy now and join the conversation about this inventive book.

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