The Names

The Names is a beautiful, heartwrenching, utterly original novel - this one will stay with me for years to come -- Miranda Cowley Heller, author of THE PAPER PALACE
The Names is a truly gorgeous, heart-opening novel. I couldn't put it down, and I'm grateful to have Cora and her children living inside my heart now. What a wonderful book! -- Ann Napolitano, multi-million-copy bestselling author of HELLO BEAUTIFUL
Every so often a truly special book comes along, one that stays with you long after turning the last page. I raged, cheered and wept alongside Bear, Gordon and Julian. Compassionate, haunting and gripping, it urges you to reflect on the path not taken, the infinite small decisions and sacrifices that lead us to our own particular lives -- Elizabeth Macneal, author of THE DOLL FACTORY
Magnificent. A stunning, hopeful, bitterly beautiful novel. The Names is a story of decisions, both grand and miniature, of how each is sewn into the tapestry of what makes us uniquely us. And how a single change can be our making and unravelling. Read it. It's very special -- Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK
Haunting and heartfelt; I couldn't look away from this emotionally charged story of fate, family and heart-shattering what ifs -- Claire Daverley, bestselling author of TALKING AT NIGHT
In The Names, Florence Knapp takes an ordinary question - what's in a name? - and turns it into a meditation on identity, fate, and family. Sharp, tender, and beautifully rendered, with characters that linger long after the final page, this is storytelling at its finest -- Adrienne Brodeur, New York Times bestselling author of LITTLE MONSTERS
I read it in three greedy gulps . . . a story of a family broken by cruelty but healed by resilience, love and possibility -- Jo Browning Wroe, author of A TERRIBLE KINDNESS
A beautiful, gripping and resonant novel that explores with remarkable sensitivity how we become who we are - it will stay with me -- Emily Howes, author of THE PAINTER'S DAUGHTERS
A stunningly and deftly told story of family, survival and the fundamentals of human existence. The Names blew me away. Heartbreaking, hopeful and gorgeously crafted -- Kirsty Capes, author of GIRLS
I'm left haunted by this book, and I can't wait to read whatever comes next for Florence Knapp. What a remarkable debut -- Mary Beth Keane, bestselling author of ASK AGAIN, YES
I found myself completely immersed in this book - it is conceptually clever but compelling, careful and tender in its telling too. The clever use of time reminded me of some of my favourite novels - Life After Life, One Day, The Time Traveler's Wife - yet The Names is its own special thing: a moving exploration of the impact of choice and how much power any of us really have to dictate the course of our lives -- Kate Sawyer, author of THIS FAMILY
The Names made me fall in love and broke my heart three times over. Gorgeous, hopeful and fascinating, it's a wonderful read that made me reflect on all the small decisions we make and the ripple effects they create. A stunning debut -- Cesca Major, author of MAYBE NEXT TIME
The Names is extraordinary. Such clean, beautiful prose. Somehow she tells this story of many people, many different lives, many different times and those sliding door moments with such clarity . . . I could not look away because Florence Knapp makes you care instantly about every single character. The novel is full of truths about nature and nurture, the people we meet in our lives who can help us choose new paths . . . a very bold, brave and moving story about domestic abuse. But most of all for me it was the story of a bond between a brother and a sister and the lengths a mother will go to to protect her children. I would say we can all believe the hype. Brava Florence Knapp for your novel from the heart -- Georgina Moore, author of THE GARNETT GIRLS
I fell in love with Cora and all the versions of her children. A powerful, emotional portrayal of the ways violence, in families and in the world, can leave both brutal and more subtle scars. Compelling, finely crafted, and beautifully written -- Helen Simonson, bestselling author of MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND
Reading The Names feels like being submerged into a more beautiful version of our own world, one in which absolutely everything, from a bobbin to a baby's name, vibrates with meaning and potentially devastating consequence. It left me feeling shaken, wrung-out, and glowing with hope. A masterful work of art -- Holly Brickley, author of DEEP CUTS
Ranging across the whole gamut of human emotions, The Names is a dazzlingly original meditation on the multiple potential selves contained inside a single life, and, in many ways, a challenge to live and love well. It's experimental, absorbing, beautifully conceived and stylishly executed -- Joanna Glen, author of ALL MY MOTHERS