The Names

(Paperback)

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Tomorrow - if morning comes, if the storm stops raging - Cora will register the name of her son. Or perhaps, and this is her real concern, she'll formalise who he will become.

It is 1987 and in the aftermath of a great storm, Cora sets out with her nine-year-old daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband has ordered her to follow a long-standing family tradition and call the child after him but when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates. Should her child share his name with generations of fearful men, or should he be given a chance to break the mould Her choice in this moment will shape the course of their lives.

Seven years later, he is Gordon, raised under his father's cruel influence, the apple of his eye.

Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, though she is not around to see him grow into it.

Or he is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, and a very different fate lies in store for them all . . .

This is the story of three names, three versions of a life and the million possibilities that a single decision can spark. And it is the story of one family, whose love will be tested to its limits and survive the unimaginable, whatever the future holds.

Author Bio

Florence Knapp is a quilter and dressmaker. For over a decade she wrote a popular blog, Flossie Teacakes, and has more recently moved over to Substack. She is also an award-winning short story writer and the author of a non-fiction book about English Paper Piecing. Passionate about children's literacy, she has worked alongside her husband for the past fifteen years creating educational apps for use in schools. She lives just outside London with her family.