Take a photo of a barcode or cover
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Murder
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
CW: physical and emotional abuse, domestic violence, child neglect, postpartum depression, blood, death, murder, ableist language, pseudoscience, alcohol, underage drinking, sexual assault, bullying, shooting, catholic abuses mention, gaslighting, pandemic, anaphylaxis
It was such an interesting premise--the difference it makes what your name is, but I must have not registered that it was set against a domestic violence background, until I started reading it. It was very distressing in that regard :( Having an interesting name myself (a white girl with a Native tribe's exonym for a name!) I have often wondered about whether one's name shapes them.
Pet peeves: The description of the flowers on a grave in October are the wrong flowers for that season, this annoyed me as a gardener and former florist, but I'm probably being nitpicky. Some of the time jumping on the middle of the stories was confusing as well.
It was such an interesting premise--the difference it makes what your name is, but I must have not registered that it was set against a domestic violence background, until I started reading it. It was very distressing in that regard :( Having an interesting name myself (a white girl with a Native tribe's exonym for a name!) I have often wondered about whether one's name shapes them.
Pet peeves: The description of the flowers on a grave in October are the wrong flowers for that season, this annoyed me as a gardener and former florist, but I'm probably being nitpicky. Some of the time jumping on the middle of the stories was confusing as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual assault, Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Ableism
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence
What a heartbreaking way to explore the impact of domestic violence. The unique structure really worked for me in a way that was unexpected and, despite it being a sad and emotional read, I couldn’t put it down. I went into it thinking the names themselves were going to be the driving factor, but ultimately, it was about Cora’s choices- did she dare defy her abuser and, if so, how much? And then the fallout from that decision shaped the whole family’s lives. And every version had joys and tragedies. A lovely read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wonderful, heartbreaking novel about choices and the different paths one family’s life could take, the long term impact of domestic violence, about resilience and love and self-discovery. Beautifully narrated. One of my favourite reads of the year
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Alternate timelines is a trope they could never make me hate and this book was no exception. While it’s marketed as how your name can change the course of your life, I don’t think that’s quite accurate. The book explores the naming choice of a mother living in an abusive relationship and I think it’s more accurate to say this book is about how the degrees of standing up to your abuser can change the course of your life. Nevertheless, I thought it was beautifully written and it grabbed my attention. The brief windows we see into Bear/Julian/Gordon’s lives is just enough at each time point, and I enjoyed having the story explore his mother and sister’s stories too. While I liked the message the ending had, I did feel it was a bit rushed, so points off for that, but overall a wonderful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement
Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was an unbelievably good book. I bought this on a whim on my lunch break, and I had to leave work early because I could not put it down. I cannot more highly recommend this. Knapp uses 7 year time jumps to show how the power of a name can change everything for a child and for a family. Knapp masterfully explores the cycle of domestic violence and its long-lasting effects.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Vomit
Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thanks to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for the ARC.
This took me most of the summer to finish. I would read a chapter, then feel the need to set it down for something lighter. The marketing says this is a very hopeful book, but fails to mention that you have to get through a lot of severe domestic abuse scenes to get to that hope. It wasn't until the halfway point that I really got into the book, but the way the beginning is handled is uncomfortable. This is also a book that doesn't have a 'plot' in the traditional sense due to the use of three different timelines. Its harder to connect to the characters when they change between timelines. Problems are introduced in the 7-year time jumps that there was no inkling of before that. Overall, this just comes off as a bookclub offering that doesn't deliver on what it set out to do.
This took me most of the summer to finish. I would read a chapter, then feel the need to set it down for something lighter. The marketing says this is a very hopeful book, but fails to mention that you have to get through a lot of severe domestic abuse scenes to get to that hope. It wasn't until the halfway point that I really got into the book, but the way the beginning is handled is uncomfortable. This is also a book that doesn't have a 'plot' in the traditional sense due to the use of three different timelines. Its harder to connect to the characters when they change between timelines. Problems are introduced in the 7-year time jumps that there was no inkling of before that. Overall, this just comes off as a bookclub offering that doesn't deliver on what it set out to do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent