Spanning a period of thirty-five years, we first meet Cora as she, her infant son and her nine-year-old daughter Maia head for the office where she has been told by her abusive and domineering husband to register the child's first name as Gordon.  There is no room for discussion as the baby is to bear his father's name. Cora just couldn't do it and instead chose the name her daughter suggested.  When she tells her husband what she has done, all hell breaks loose and there are consequences that impact the family for decades.  However, there is much more to THE NAMES, because the author gives readers two more versions of what follows if Cora had chosen to actually name the boy Gordon and if she had chosen yet one other name.

The format and structuring of the narratives are mesmerizing. Told in alternating timelines and different versions, the author explores the results and the repercussions of one perhaps spur-of-the-moment decision.

In each scenario, the paths of the characters' lives vary, but they are, for the most part, the same people whose characteristics have changed. There is one horrid commonality and that is the monster Cora was married to.  How did a respected and gifted physician wreak so much pain in just one lifetime?

THE NAMES, by Florence Knapp, is a must-read for those looking for a unique and intriguing book. Told with sensitivity and emotion, THE NAMES is a book that will stay with readers long after its conclusion. Highly recommended.