bookishgeeky 's review for:

The Names by Florence Knapp

5.0

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Florence Knapp’s debut novel, The Names, absolutely lives up to the hype as one of the most anticipated novel of the year. This might be a debut novel, but it reads like the work of a seasoned storyteller.

This story follows a family across three different alternate timelines, with the youngest child given a different name in each. How something as simple as a name might influence the course of the child’s life? 

As someone who experienced domestic violence and years of trauma in the past, reading Cora’s story broke me and i sobbed my heart out. 

A lot of people will say, why didn’t she just leave? In fact, research shows that it can take approximately up to 7 attempts before a survivor permanently leaves an abusive partner. 

Cora’s alternate timelines are so heartbreaking, there will be no right or wrong choices. 

This is a beautiful, haunting, gut wrenching and emotional read. So prepare yourself to cry. 

So my question is, can a name change the course of a life? This book will give you a lot to think about. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amazingly 5 stars reads 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting