Reviews with content warning for Car accident - De namen

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Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

De namen by Florence Knapp

23 reviews

znvisser's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I loved this premise but didn’t realise what would really make these versions differ OR how emotional it would be, until I found out it was about domestic abuse. Such a strong debut tho, wonderfully written and I loved the romanticism in the parallels between storylines

(e.g. Lily’s presence, the boy and Cian’s bond)

and how art in all its forms shone through it all.

Content Warnings

thekaysev's review against another edition

4.5

challenging 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

Something is telling me to give this a 4.5 star. I don't know what it is, but it is definitely a good read.

To start out, this was an incredible book. I felt like I was people-watching, except that I was invited to watch and learn. This book is VERY heavy and is not something that should be read without knowing the trigger-warnings. However, if you're in a good mindset, this is a very interesting read. For a debut novel, this is amazing.

Content Warnings

womangenius's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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: Complicated

This is a beautiful, tender novel. It's also a bit tell not show, everything is a bit too on the nose and the reader is given very little space to draw their own conclusions - you are told in every scene exactly what emotional weight you are supposed to get from it, that Something Very Important is happening. It definitely dragged down the writing for me. I also disagree with the central premise - the notion that a name is THAT psychologically impactful. The marketing of this book really suggests that it asks the question - could a name really change your life? But it's not just asking, it answers yes. The inciting action of the novel relies on the presupposed truth that even the act of choosing a name is so powerful, that it causes Cora to behave and feel very differently *immediately* afterwards. And that not only her and Gordon's reaction to this name, but also the name itself, molds his personality such to the extent that it strains too far past my scientific understanding of nominative determinism. I think names have power to shape us, but the extent is limited. And I think this book intended to explore this question and leave it open, but it in itself makes it a closed matter, actually. So the book fails at exploring this question, if its so preloaded with the answer.

However, it still works as a fantastical and figurative way to explore the power of language, the power of our own assumed meanings, our biases. And there's so much more - family, identity, fate, choice, the power to change, forgiveness, the essential social glue of being in debt to one another, how to be open when we also need to protect ourselves, how to embrace our past, how to embrace each other. I cried at several points, I can't rate it any less than 4 stars. I guess I wish Knapp wrote this later in her career, when she hopefully has a more subtle and sophisticated way of characterization, but wow it's a great book and a great idea! And it really is quite beautifully written in many ways, despite the flaws. Oh yeah, one other major flaw is the epilogue. Another excellent idea which is derailed by an unrealistically satisfying, bow-tying ending. But I still would recommend this to many people, with the caveat that the abuse portions in particular are very demoralizing to read. I had to skip parts of the Gordon chapters, it's very infuriating and oppressive and frankly hard to stay calm and continue reading. I think Cora disappears a little too much in this novel, in a way that isn't fair to her. She's left feeling like a bit of a blank , a void, a secondary character, which feels antithetical to what I'm sure is meant to celebrate and center victims of domestic abuse. She's more of a stage upon which the main characters of the son and Maia are drawn. Even in the portions where she's free from his control. And maybe that's realistic, for this woman, we see how in every story she only knows how to disappear into other people, with just small reclamations of her own space. But it's not what I wanted for her, I didn't enjoy that I felt I still hadn't really heard her story, this central Jesus, this martyr upon which everyone heaps their own suffering.

But then there are parts that are glorious. That strike you with an essential truth, like a great book should. There's these beautiful silver little tender threads of meaning weaving each story to one another, and making you question the nature of narrative itself, and now how to grapple with 3 at once? It's a delightful exercise for the mind. Idk, read it!

Content Warnings

sarahbsews's review against another edition

5.0

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

mdouble's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

leahthebooklover's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

For me, this was a very hard book to read. Domestic violence is a difficult topic to put at the center of a story and not have it be hard. Author Florence Knapp handles it brilliantly - looking at it from multiple angles and playing out different scenarios, all to help the reader come to a fuller and more compassionate understanding of the victims of this often hidden violence (hidden until sometimes it is tragically too late). The central premise that the meaning of a person's name will have a determining force in how their life will play out was a little hard for me to accept. I personally don't believe names have that much power, but it was a creative plot device to hang the "alternate lives" storylines on. The time jumps - glimpses of the lives of our main characters occuring every seven years (1987, 1994, 2001, 2008, 2015, 2022) was (imo) a bit contrived, but also admittedly used to great effect. So while I may have minor issues with the form of this book, the content is what makes it important, perhaps even exceptional. It would make an outstanding book club selection, but it would be very triggering for anyone who has endured any kind of domestic violence, either as a spouse or a child of an abuser.

Content Warnings