It is 1987, and in the wake of a great storm, Cora sets out with her young daughter to register the birth of her son … Her choice will shape the course of their lives.
Introduction to the author and book
Florence Knapp was educated at Southampton University and worked as a secretary before becoming a novelist. She has previously written a non-fiction book about a centuries-old method of quilt making, as well as contributing to a book for the V&A Museum. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and won the Bath Short Story Award’s Acorn Award.
Florence is 49 years old and writes about herself:
I live just outside London with my husband, our dog, and sometimes one (or two) of our now-adult children. Some of my favourite things are: words, photo booths, old tiles, rain, long phone calls, clothing with pockets, book covers, dimples (I don’t have any of my own, but I covet the cheeks of those who do), houses lit up at night, the word eiderdown, notebooks, kaleidoscopes, homemade soup, Italy, taking photos, book chat, hummus, barre, house plants, a thick duvet with wool blankets piled on top, hand-stitching, making lists. I’m less keen on condiment bottles, driving on motorways, and socks where the heel slips down.
‘THE NAMES’ is Florence’s debut novel. It was shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Fiction Book of the Year and will be translated into more than twenty languages.
The unforgettable debut novel that became an instant global sensation, The Names asks how a name can shape the course of a life and explores the single what-if moments that can overturn a person’s fate. The novel explores themes of identity and symbolism around names, questioning whether a name defines self or is shaped by nurture. It employs a layered structure with multiple perspectives, highlighting the significance of seven-year cycles and the impact of names like Bear and Gordon. The story delves into domestic violence, grief, and family dynamics, emphasizing the difficulty of leaving abusive relationships and the influence of names on character and fate.
It is 1987, and in the aftermath of a great storm, Cora sets out with her nine-year-old daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband intends her to follow a long-standing family tradition and call the boy after him. But faced with the decision, Cora hesitates, questioning whether it is right for her child to share his name with generations of domineering men. Her choice in this moment will shape the course of their lives.
Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, and one that will prove as cataclysmic as the storm from which it emerges. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, believing it will give him the opportunity to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his image – but is there still a chance to break the mould?
The novel revisits in turn each version of this boy’s life every seven years. It follows the family across thirty-five years, through three parallel versions of their lives, depending on the name a mother gives her newborn son. It is the story of three names, three versions of a life and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark.
What do you think of this novel?
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Vicki James & Helen Sinclair
The next book for July and August 2026 will be …
‘The Covenant of Water’ by Abraham Verghese published May 2023; 736 pages; Amazon 4.6*
This is a long book for Book Club summer break.
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning – and in Kerala, water is everywhere.