Bear/Julian/Gordon...all the same person, but their stories told in parallel. How each of their lives were shaped because of the name their mother chose for them.

I absolutely loved this story and it really made me think about the importance of the names we choose for our children. How that name can define who that person becomes, partly because of the way others may react to that person based on their name. Equally interesting was how the lives of the people around him were impacted by the name that was chosen for him.

The story does revolve around domestic abuse which might be triggering for some, but was tastefully done. If there is a way for a domestic abuse story to be tasteful.

I want to thank the author Florence Knapp, PENGUIN GROUP/Viking Penguin and Netgalley for an ARC or The Names.

I couldn’t put down this novel. The idea that the name given to an infant changes not only the course of their life, but all the lives orbiting around him was fascinating. The central theme of domestic abuse was difficult at times, but gently and respectfully handled. These characters were so real. As the author jumped ahead to each time period to update us on the three different lives being lived by Bear, Julian, and Gordon, I found myself thinking of them as three separate characters. What a unique outlook!
I know this book will stay with me. The characters were so vivid and the story so heartbreakingly real. . I will be recommending this novel to my reading friends and my book club. Thanks to Netgalley for introducing me to Florence Knapp and her wonderful, authentic voice.

The synopsis caught my eye instantly, because my mother, too, chose between three names for me—and the one she calls me to this day is the one my brother picked. I don’t know if that’s why I connected to this book so much, but I found it to be a beautiful, life-affirming, touching story with so much depth and nuance to every character.