The Names Audiobook By Florence Knapp cover art

The Names

A Novel

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The Names

By: Florence Knapp
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About this listen

“A magnificent novel, thrumming with life in all its pain and precariousness, yet suffused with the glorious possibilities of love and redemption.”—Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse

The Names is a truly gorgeous, heart-opening novel. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m grateful to have Cora and her children living inside my heart now. What a wonderful book!”—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

“Magnificent. A stunning, hopeful, bitterly beautiful novel....Read it. It’s very special.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark

The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.

©2025 Florence Knapp (P)2025 Penguin Audio
Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction

Critic reviews

“A tour de force. . . truly mesmerizing and profound. Knapp crafts a world where names are keys that can unlock the truth about who we are and who we can become. At once haunting and revelatory, The Names is a brilliant exploration of the choices that define our lives.”—Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People

“Beautiful, heart-wrenching, utterly original.”—Miranda Cowley Heller, international #1 bestselling author of The Paper Palace

“Magnificent. A stunning, hopeful, bitterly beautiful novel. The Names is a story of decisions, both grand and miniature, of how each is sewn into the tapestry of what makes us uniquely us. And how a single change can be our making and unraveling. Read it. It’s very special.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All The Colors of the Dark

“I'm left haunted by this book, and I can’t wait to read whatever comes next for Florence Knapp. What a remarkable debut.”—Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

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