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The Independent
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
I've already read 30 books this year, but this is my standout favourite
Maybe it's the high calibre of new releases in 2025, or perhaps it's that I keep deleting TikTok, but I've already read more than 30 books this year – and there's one that I've been recommending to everyone. I've been sucked into the 'romantasy' genre with Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing series, enjoyed comedies including Alison Espach's The Wedding People and Sarah Harman's All The Other Mothers Hate Me, and been equal parts shocked and inspired by the real life stories of World War Two secret agent Pippa Lantour and former-Mormon Tara Westover in their beautiful memoirs, The Last Secret Agent and Educated. But it's Florence Knapp's new novel, The Names, that's a future classic. Curiously, her only other book is a non-fiction guide to English paper piecing, but her first foray into fiction is a masterclass. It's as devastating as it is life-affirming, which is a recipe for the perfect book. The novel is an utterly original take on the 'sliding doors' concept. Beginning on the day a mother sets off to name her baby son, it follows three versions of a boy's life as dictated by his given name. An exploration of how small decisions can echo down the decades, the novel is a gripping and moving family drama. I tore through the book in two sittings while on holiday. The story might not be the typical easy-breezy beach book, but the novel is hugely readable, with beautiful prose and compelling characters. Debuting at number two in The Sunday Times bestseller list and with an average rating of 4.18 on Goodreads, it's one of those rare mainstream novels that live up to the hype. Whether you're packing for a summer holiday or looking for your next weekend read, here's why I'm recommending The Names to everyone.
Times
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Pandora Sykes picks this summer's top 10 beach reads
A summer holiday is the perfect time to finally knuckle down to some serious reading. Here are the most in-the-know novel to been seen reading by the pool. Florence Knapp's novel The Names is a moving riff on the concept of nominative determinism — the idea that people's lives are guided by their name — using three different timelines. Each begins in 1987, with Cora registering her newborn son's name. In the first timeline Cora calls the baby Gordon, as his abusive father has demanded. In the second she calls him Julian. And in the third, her nine-year-old daughter names him Bear. Bear grows up to be a gentle wanderer; Julian is artistic and avoidant; and Gordon is as bullish and dismissive as his father.
Gulf Today
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
I've already read 30 books this year – but this is the one I'm recommending to everyone
Maybe it's the high calibre of new releases in 2025, or perhaps it's that I keep deleting TikTok, but I've already read more than 30 books this year - and there's one that I've been recommending to everyone. I've been stuck into the "romantasy" genre with Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing series, enjoyed comedies including Alison Espach's The Wedding People and Sarah Harman's All The Other Mothers Hate Me, and been equal parts shocked and inspired by the real life stories of World War Two secret agent Pippa Lantour and former-Mormon Tara Westover in their beautiful memoirs, The Last Secret Agent and Educated. But it's Florence Knapp's new novel, The Names, that's a future classic. Curiously, her only other book is a non-fiction guide to English paper piecing, but her first foray into fiction is a masterclass. It's as devastating as it is life-affirming, which is a recipe for the perfect book. The novel is an utterly original take on the "sliding doors" concept. Beginning on the day a mother sets off to name her baby son, it follows three versions of a boy's life as dictated by his given name. An exploration of how small decisions can echo down the decades, the novel is a gripping and moving family drama. I tore through the book in two sittings while on holiday. The story might not be the typical easy-breezy beach book, but the novel is hugely readable, with beautiful prose and compelling characters. Debuting at number two in The Sunday Times bestseller list and with an average rating of 4.18 on Goodreads, it's one of those rare mainstream novels that live up to the hype. Whether you're packing for a summer holiday or looking for your next weekend read, here's why I'm recommending The Names to everyone. 'The Names' by Florence Knapp, published by Phoenix An utterly original concept, Florence Knapp's debut is structured around nominative determinism - how someone's name can set the trajectory of their life. Set after the Great Storm in 1987, it begins with Cora setting out with her nine-year-old daughter to name her newborn baby boy. She has three options. The first is Gordon, as demanded by her controlling and abusive husband, who wants him to be named after himself. The second is Bear, the nickname her daughter Maia has affectionately given him. Cora's own wish is for him to be named Julian, believing this name will set him free of any expectation and influence from his father. The chapters are divided into three sections - Gordon, Bear and Julian - with each following the ramifications of his naming and the boy's life as it unfolds over the decades. The novel is profound and moving in its exploration of how tiny decisions can change the path of your life. It's also an important portrayal of domestic violence and how it can impact a child through the decades, with one version seeing Cora leave her husband and another depicting years of continued abuse. Despite its darker themes, the novel has the same charm as cult hits like William Boyd's Any Human Heart or Min Jin Lee's Pachinko; you follow the characters through their entire lives, including their loves and their losses. Moments of tragedy will make you weep, but the family story of love and resilience is beautiful. It's an old-fashioned page-turner, too - I couldn't tear myself away from the page and read the novel in two sittings.
The Independent
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
I've already read 30 books this year – but this is the one I'm recommending to everyone
Maybe it's the high calibre of new releases in 2025, or perhaps it's that I keep deleting TikTok, but I've already read more than 30 books this year – and there's one that I've been recommending to everyone. I've been sucked into the 'romantasy' genre with Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing series, enjoyed comedies including Alison Espach's The Wedding People and Sarah Harman's All The Other Mothers Hate Me, and been equal parts shocked and inspired by the real life stories of World War Two secret agent Pippa Lantour and former-Mormon Tara Westover in their beautiful memoirs, The Last Secret Agent and Educated. But it's Florence Knapp's new novel, The Names, that's a future classic. Curiously, her only other book is a non-fiction guide to English paper piecing, but her first foray into fiction is a masterclass. It's as devastating as it is life-affirming, which is a recipe for the perfect book. The novel is an utterly original take on the 'sliding doors' concept. Beginning on the day a mother sets off to name her baby son, it follows three versions of a boy's life as dictated by his given name. An exploration of how small decisions can echo down the decades, the novel is a gripping and moving family drama. I tore through the book in two sittings while on holiday. The story might not be the typical easy-breezy beach book, but the novel is hugely readable, with beautiful prose and compelling characters. Debuting at number two in The Sunday Times bestseller list and with an average rating of 4.18 on Goodreads, it's one of those rare mainstream novels that live up to the hype. The Names to everyone. Why you can trust us Daisy Lester is a senior shopping writer at The Independent. As well as writing about beauty and fashion, she specialises in reviewing books. She always has her finger on the pulse when it comes to new releases from both debut authors and acclaimed writers.
Irish Times
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
The Names by Florence Knapp: what's in a name?
The Names Author : Florence Knapp ISBN-13 : 978-1399624022 Publisher : Phoenix Guideline Price : £13.99 Can a name shape one's destiny? Knapp's high-concept debut ponders this question with remarkable psychological nuance. The story begins in 1987 with Cora on her way to register her infant son's name, with her daughter Maia in tow. Cora's real concern is that she will 'formalise who he will become' based on what she names him. Her husband Gordon has instructed her to name the baby after him, to carry on the family's tradition. She fears that this would burden him with the abusive legacy of his namesakes. 'It feels like a chest-beating, tribal thing ... that will tie him to generations of domineering men.' She prefers the name Julian, which means sky father. Maia suggests Bear because it is 'all soft and cuddly and kind ... but also, brave and strong'. READ MORE This seemingly innocuous decision to name a baby is the sliding-doors moment in this novel that charts the destiny of this family in three alternate storylines. The chapters are spaced seven years apart and titled after each of the three names. Gordon is a reputable doctor but an abusive patriarch at home. The overarching theme of the three storylines is the repercussions of living under the fear of domestic abuse. In each storyline, guilt and trauma dominate the interior psychological landscapes of the three main characters – Cora, Maia and the boy. Knapp shrewdly weaves together three distinct permutations of this family's future into a single tapestry with perceptive insight. The narrative remains consistently emotionally engaging, which is no mean feat for a debut novelist. The story resonates on many levels. It depicts an evocative portrayal of children who grow up under the shadow of a narcissistic father, conditioning them to become hypervigilant and pander to authority. In a poignant moment, Cora observes this in how her nine-year-old daughter has learned 'to soothe, to placate' and is 'attuned to the undercurrents in a room'. In another devastating instance, the grown-up boy asks his sister Maia, 'Do you think Dad consumed me?' – a stark illustration of the tyranny of an abusive parent. The Names is an exquisitely layered story about the ripple effects of trauma and choices – and the legacy they leave behind.
