The Names: A Read with Jenna Pick

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"Dazzling. . . The Names is startlingly joyful. . . Knapp tirelessly and beautifully replicates not just loss and grief but endless rebirth and delight." --The Washington Post

"Elegant. . . this is a wholly original work." --People Magazine "Book of the Week"

"A magnificent novel, thrumming with life in all its pain and precariousness, yet suffused with the glorious possibilities of love and redemption." --Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse

The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book's brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.

Author: Florence Knapp
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Published: 05/06/2025
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.08lbs
Size: 9.32h x 6.34w x 1.15d
ISBN: 9780593833902


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/14/2025 pg. 1
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2025
Publishers Weekly 03/17/2025
Booklist 04/01/2025 pg. 57
BookPage 05/01/2025

About the Author
Florence Knapp has previously written a nonfiction book about a centuries-old method of quilt making, as well as contributing to a book for the Victoria and Albert Museum. She lives just outside London with her husband and their dog. Their two children have now flown the nest. The Names is Knapp's debut novel and will be translated into more than twenty languages.